800 W. Fulton Market

Project Details

Project Name
800 W. Fulton Market
Location
Chicago
Project Types
Project Scope
New Construction
Shared By
Kyle Troutman
Project Status
Built
Year Completed
2021
Size
37,576 ft²

Project Description

This project was selected as a winner in AIA’s 2023 Interior Architecture Awards. You can read more about this project, which was recognized in ARCHITECT’s 2023 Lighting & Architecture Design Awards, here.

One of the first office buildings to open in Chicago after the COVID-19 pandemic began, 800 W. Fulton Market was ahead of its time. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the 19-story, LEED Platinum project has a nearly 40-foot-tall interior lobby where flexible workstations are seamlessly integrated with community spaces, retailers, and a fitness center on the ground floor, encouraging a lively environment that is activated by both workers and the public throughout the day. This piazza-like feel on the lower level is matched with outdoor terraces for tenants on alternating upper levels, creating a workplace that supports health, wellness, and nontraditional work styles—values that many companies are now retrofitting their existing structures to achieve.

In the office spaces, the interior palette is industrial: Brick, steel, and wood are the most prominent elements. Leaving concrete supports and ductwork exposed helped to reduce the project’s cost and carbon footprint. However, to avoid a cavernous feel, furniture, plants, and lighting are human-scaled and skew low-slung—fostering an inviting environment and no doubt furthering the appeal of returning to office life.

PROJECT CREDITS
Project: 800 W. Fulton Market
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Landscape Architect: Omni Ecosystems
MEP Engineer: Dbhms
Structural Engineer: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Terra Engineering: Civil Engineering
Client/Developer: Thor Equities
Developer: QuadReal
General Contractor: Lendlease
Size: 37,576 square feet

This article first appeared in the May/June 2023 issue of ARCHITECT.

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