Skender has completed construction on the new Walgreens Technology Center of Excellence in Chicago’s redeveloped Old Post Office. Post COVID, the 200,000-sf office will welcome hundreds of employees from e-commerce, mobile, pharmacy technology, as well as digital team members and Walgreens Boots Alliance Information Technology personnel.
The office spans multiple levels and buildings of the Old Post Office development. It features a signature staircase, open and private offices, collaboration and conferencing spaces, data rooms, and kitchen and lounge spaces.
Within the workplace, the communal spaces are located in the central core of the building, forming a "city center." Zones for groupings of individual workstations and specific amenities, which form "neighborhoods," stem from the city center. Each neighborhood has its own identity, and the collection of neighborhoods stitches the community together.
Courtesy Stantec.
"Town centers" bookened the neighborhoods. The town centers comprise huddle rooms, break areas, and smaller conference rooms. The main circulation artery breaks the city grid like the European urban plan, which connects all spaces across the massive floor plate.
Located on the first floor is the new Walgreens University spacve. This space celebrates the company's legacy and its future. It will welcome new hires and current employees for training, meetings, and special events. The Innovation Hall, meanwhile, will showcase a series of creation labs to display the innovative culture and history of Walgreens. The design is intended to support flexibility with content changing regularly, and engage people who enter from the building's main entry.
Courtesy Stantec.
The project will increase Walgreens presence in Chicago and signifies a commitment to attracting top technology talent. In addition to Skender acting as the general contractor, Stantec, along with Walgreens in-house development group, handled the architecture, integrated buildings engineering, and interior design services.
See Also: Chicago’s Old Post Office get new zip with massive $900 million renovation
Courtesy Skender.
Courtesy Skender.
Courtesy Skender.
Related Stories
| Sep 5, 2014
First Look: Zaha Hadid's Grace on Coronation towers in Australia
Zaha Hadid's latest project in Australia is a complex of three, tapered residential high-rises that have expansive grounds to provide the surrounding community unobstructed views and access to the town's waterfront.
| Sep 3, 2014
Ranked: Top local government sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
STV, HOK, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest local government design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 3, 2014
New designation launched to streamline LEED review process
The LEED Proven Provider designation is designed to minimize the need for additional work during the project review process.
| Sep 2, 2014
Ranked: Top green building sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
AECOM, Gensler, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
| Sep 1, 2014
Ranked: Top federal government sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Clark Group, Fluor, and HOK top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest federal government design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 29, 2014
China Syndrome: How long will U.S. firms keep milking the Middle Kingdom?
U.S. architecture and engineering firms like Goettsch Partners have been enjoying full employment in China. But will there come a point when Chinese officials—and Chinese designers—say, We can handle this? BD+C's Robert Cassidy digs into this issue.
| Aug 28, 2014
Stantec releases design for Edmonton's tallest tower
At 227 meters, Stantec Tower will be the tallest building in the city, dwarfing the two next-tallest: Epcor Tower and Manulife Tower.
| Aug 27, 2014
Designs for community-based workspace in Carlsbad unveiled
Cruzan announced make, a 175,000-square-foot office redevelopment project on the coast of Carlsbad, Calif. Cruzan will usher this next generation of community-based, integrated workspace into existence in fall 2014.
| Aug 25, 2014
Tall wood buildings: Surveying the early innovators
Timber has been largely abandoned as a structural solution in taller buildings during the last century, in favor of concrete and steel. Perkins+Will's Rebecca Holt writes about the firm's work in surveying the burgeoning tall wood buildings sector.
| Aug 25, 2014
'Vanity space' makes up large percentage of world's tallest buildings [infographic]
Large portions of some skyscrapers are useless space used to artificially enhance their height, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.