For nine of RTKL's first 11 years in Chicago, it occupied offices in Holabird & Roche's Marquette Building—a late 19th century classic of the Chicago School. Looking for a new space, the firm decided to take a completely different direction, and the 105-person office moved to the 18th and 19th floors of the midcentury Borg-Warner Building. “It's the oddball building on Michigan Avenue,” says vice president and project lead designer Mark Lauterbach.
“We wanted a space that felt different,” Lauterbach says, “but we wanted it to be neutral.” RTKL sought this effect by developing the public spaces as a play on white. Glossy white concrete floor tiles greet visitors at the 18th floor elevator lobby and extend through a glass wall into the reception area, where a Corian desk, model display stands, and a plaster wall all reinforce the white-on-white motif.
The 18th floor is devoted to shared work areas. Bracketing the reception area are three conference rooms and the glass-enclosed Design Lab, which hosts intensive client workshops at a high-top table and puts the team on display for visitors and RTKL employees. “Clients love that. It's so atypical,” says Lauterbach of the fishbowl effect.
In one corner of the 18th floor, Lauterbach and project designer Jason Peters carved a double-height space out of two 21-foot-square concrete structural bays; it functions as a “third place” where one is likely to find staff working away from their assigned desks.
A ceremonial stair in the double-height space leads to the 19th floor, which is an open studio with a small central library offering seating at the top of the stair. Rows of glass-enclosed, semiprivate offices for the vice presidents line the internal core of the building. Every workstation is open to views of the lake and has natural light from two directions.
The collaborative nature of RTKL's working process informed the choice of furnishings. The firm asked six vendors to set up workstations for its employees to test-drive for a few weeks. At a reception, each manufacturer presented its products, and a vote resulted in the selection of a European design by Alea. Its low partitions preserve the lake views from every desk while promoting interaction and even eavesdropping among team members. “You learn a lot listening to how somebody handles a contractor or a consultant on the phone,” says Lauterbach, who describes this as a form of mentoring.
Vice President
RTKL
All of RTKL's old furniture from the Marquette Building was recycled—reused, sold, or donated—as part of the green strategy for the project. While the offices achieved a LEED Silver certification, Lauterbach notes that their commonsense approach to reuse doesn't earn any LEED credits. The new furnishings are intended to be even more sustainable. RTKL hopes to keep durable modern classics like its new Eames chairs in service for three decades or more. “It's about keeping things,” Lauterbach says.
Project: RTKL Chicago Offices
Location: Chicago
Client: RTKL
Architect: RTKL, Chicago—Mark Lauterbach, Daniel White (vice presidents); Michael Schwindenhamme (principal designer); Alan Kirkpatrick, Caesar Vitale (project managers); Kevin Montgomery (project architect); Jason Peters (project designer); Michelle McMinn (interior designer); Aimee Stern (conceptual designer); Todd Kaiser, Erin Grigsby (LEED AP); David Davenport (commissioning agent); Patricia Kazinski (lighting consultant)
M/E/P Engineer Ramm Associates
Structural Engineer: TGRWA
Speciality Systems Consultant: The Whitlock Group
General Contractor: Oscar J. Boldt Construction
Lighting Control Systems Consultant: Lutron Electronics Co.
Product Specs Seating
Aeron task chairs Herman Miller Inc.
hermanmiller.com
Mayflower Plastic Stack Chair in white and green Materia
materia.se
Mayflower Stacking Barstool in white Materia
materia.se
Mayflower Upholstered Guest Chair Materia
materia.se
Corian Glacier White laminate on gallery benches DuPont
dupont.com
B.2 Lounge Chair in white and chrome Bernhardt Design
bernhardtdesign.com
JoJo Adjustable Height Stools Allermuir
allermuir.com
Bix seating (booths) Steelcase
steelcase.com
Eames Aluminum Management Chair Herman Miller Inc.
hermanmiller.com
Eames Soft Pad Executive Chair Herman Miller Inc.
hermanmiller.com
Flooring
Concrete 16-by-24-inch field tile in pearl smooth finish Sadlerstone
sadlerstone.com
Velvet Grid broadloom carpet Masland Contract
maslandcontract.com
Kinetic broadloom carpet Masland Contract
maslandcontract.com
Estuary broadloom carpet Masland Contract
maslandcontract.com
Artesian broadloom carpet Masland Contract
maslandcontract.com
Veneto linoleum sheet flooring Johnsonite
johnsonite.com
Etrusco linoleum sheet flooring Johnsonite
johnsonite.com
Levelrock brand Proflow flooring with wax finish USG Corp.
levelrock.com
Finishes
CraftWood wallcovering in walnut veneer
SR Wood
srwoodinc.com
Alkemi recycled scrap aluminum countertops with Nebula honed finish Renewed Materials
renewedmaterials.com
Concealed overhead door closer with 90 degree hold-open Blumcraft of Pittsburgh
blumcraft.com
Fabric-wrapped pinup panels Maharam
maharam.com
Binary upholstery fabric Maharam
maharam.com
Repeat Classic Stripe upholstery fabric Maharam
maharam.com
Orakel Blume upholstery fabric Maharam
maharam.com
Color Blox series field tile in A1117 Crossville
crossvilleinc.com
Kho Lang Li series tile in pattern 16904, in white Royal Mosa
royalmosa.com
Brushed Aluminum plastic laminate Arborite
arborite.com
Furniture
Office/Team Room tables in aluminum with birch veneer
Alea
aleaoffice.com
Corian Reception Desk DuPont
dupont.com
Occasional table in glass and chrome Bernhardt Design
bernhardtdesign.com
Dining and lounge tables in various heights with white tops and chrome bases Allermuir
allermuir.com
Vox series conference tables in sycamore veneer Nienkämper
nienkamper.com
Vox series credenzas in sycamore veneer with aluminum trim Nienkämper
nienkamper.com
White melamine laminate library layout furniture Kayhan International
kayhan.furnishgroup.com
White melamine laminate storage furniture Kayhan International
kayhan.furnishgroup.com
Perimeter storage, including cabinets and printer stations, in white melamine laminate Alea
aleaoffice.com
Skyblend particleboard kitchen cabinets with bamboo veneer Neil Kelly Cabinet Co.
neilkellycabinets.com
Wall Systems
Aluminum and glass individual office wall system
Infinium Architectural Wall Systems
infiniumwalls.com
Transparent glass panels Trainor Glass Co.
trainorglass.com
Milk finish glass panels Trainor Glass Co.
trainorglass.com
Lighting and Shading
Recessed linear direct staggered lamp Edge 4S with acrylic lens
Pinnacle Architectural Lighting
pinnacle-ltg.com
Calculite Matrix compact fluorescent open downlights Lightolier
lightolier.com
SL207C Floating Paper 9-by-9-inch forms, spectral architectural lighting Lightolier
lightolier.com
Recessed Bivergence fixtures with T5 lamps Zumtobel
zumtobel.us
2RT5 recessed fluorescent downlights Lithonia Lighting
lithonia.com
LEV-level suspended fixtures with T5 lamps Énergie
energielighting.com
Combo CO Series recessed MR16 fixtures with Trim RSA Lighting
rsalighting.com
Lytespan Step spot mini HID track lighting Lightolier
lightolier.com
Moser pendant fixture with opal handblown glass Louis Poulsen Lighting
louispoulsen.com
Bella pendant fixture in white pliable acrylic with a satin finish Énergie
energielighting.com
Sonar 1 frosted lens low-bay pendants with fluorescent lamps Delray Lighting
delraylighting.com
Flexible white undercabinet LEDs RSA Lighting
rsalighting.com
Tolomeo Classic task lamps for individual workstations Artemide
artemide.com
Window shades Lutron Electronics Co.
lutron.com
Paints
Eco Spec Interior Latex in Flat 219; Eggshell Enamel 223; Semi-gloss Enamel 224
Benjamin Moore & Co.
benjaminmoore.com
Eco Spec Primer Sealer Benjamin Moore & Co.
benjaminmoore.com
Ceilings
Eurostone sustainable ceiling panels
Chicago Metallic Corp.
chicagometallic.com
Techstyle acoustical ceiling panels in white Hunter Douglas
hunterdouglascontract.com
Systems Furniture
Zefiro SYS workstation furniture
Alea
aleaoffice.com
Miscellaneous
Wayfinding graphics and artwork on glass
Aion Solutions
aionsolutions.com
Projectors and videoconferencing The Whitlock Group
whitlock.com
Projectors and videoconferencing controller Extron Electronics
extron.com
“RTKL” solid acrylic signage blocks PSI Model Builders
