GREC Architects, a multi-disciplinary design firm based in Chicago, announced the opening of its new headquarters.
The Chicago office will continue to be the firm’s primary base of operations and will provide architectural support to its branch office in the UAE. The relocation of the firm was necessitated by one of GREC’s projects; the conversion of the upper floors of the River East Arts Center into residential “loft style” units.
The new 12,000-sf office has an open plan configuration with a north and south studio. The space also benefits from a state-of-the-art boardroom, teaming spaces, a sample area, and additional conference rooms. The designers also incorporated an exhibition gallery, two kitchens, and a lounge area with a dramatic view of Chicago’s waterfront.
David Ervin, one of the firm’s three managing principals, remarks, “The relocation gave us the opportunity to increase the capacity of our office at a time when our business is expanding globally. It also allowed us to utilize our collaborative design process on our own space. Many members of our staff had input into the design and execution of the new office environment and we are all benefiting from the process."
GREC Architects is a Chicago-based firm of over 30 architects whose work includes resort and hospitality; civic; commercial and mid- to high-rise residential developments. The firm, established in 1989, has completed numerous and diverse types of projects, focusing on design solutions that directly meet the needs of the client and are both ecologically sustainable and financially viable. In Chicago, the firm’s current projects include the 260–room Kimpton Palomar hotel and 124 condominiums at 505 North State Street, and the design of an 800,000 square foot, mixed-use hotel and office building located in Dubai, UAE.
GREC Architects is the designer for a one-million-sf office tower for Chicago’s preeminent commercial development firm, The John Buck Company. They are also the Design Architect and Lead Consultant for the Abu Dhabi Golf Club Resort Hotel, a 148-room Westin Resort in Abu Dhabi. Designed in a modernistic, wellness style, the hotel will feature stunning minimalist interiors forged from natural stone, petrified and reclaimed wood and dotted with cooling water features. It will deliver dramatic views of Abu Dhabi’s Championship National Course.