Beacon Capital Partners asked ESI to create a design on a tight budget that would strengthen the building’s identity and make it more appealing to higher-value tenants.
As the home of a former Sears department store, 1 North Dearborn Street used to be a popular destination, but in recent years its street presence had been diminished by its Chicago Loop neighbors.
ESI Design devised a design approach to invigorate the ground floor with color and light. The renovation makes the building a visual focal point on the street and reinvents the lobby as a more welcoming space.
The huge former department store windows now glow with striking LED animations that reflect the ebb and flow of the day (more lively during rush hours, gentler during the lulls) and mark the time. ESI achieved this effect with mirrors and metallic film in the window nooks, creating a reflective environment where light can bounce and multiply.
The bold red canopy (featuring a new building logo, also designed by ESI) identifies the main entrance from a distance and frames the animated windows.
The redesign continues inside to the lobby, where a moiré color wall, new security desk, and furnishings complement the color and light forms of the exterior, presenting the space as a warmer, more welcoming environment.
After the renovation was completed, insuretech company Snapsheet leased 52,000 square feet in the building.
“The work ESI Design led at 1 North Dearborn reveals that new, engaging and artistic experiences can be found in the most unexpected places, including our modern Class-A office buildings.”
Beacon Capital Partners asked ESI to create a design on a tight budget that would strengthen the building’s identity and make it more appealing to higher-value tenants.
As the home of a former Sears department store, 1 North Dearborn Street used to be a popular destination, but in recent years its street presence had been diminished by its Chicago Loop neighbors.
ESI Design devised a design approach to invigorate the ground floor with color and light. The renovation makes the building a visual focal point on the street and reinvents the lobby as a more welcoming space.
The huge former department store windows now glow with striking LED animations that reflect the ebb and flow of the day (more lively during rush hours, gentler during the lulls) and mark the time. ESI achieved this effect with mirrors and metallic film in the window nooks, creating a reflective environment where light can bounce and multiply.
The bold red canopy (featuring a new building logo, also designed by ESI) identifies the main entrance from a distance and frames the animated windows.
The redesign continues inside to the lobby, where a moiré color wall, new security desk, and furnishings complement the color and light forms of the exterior, presenting the space as a warmer, more welcoming environment.
After the renovation was completed, insuretech company Snapsheet leased 52,000 square feet in the building.
“The work ESI Design led at 1 North Dearborn reveals that new, engaging and artistic experiences can be found in the most unexpected places, including our modern Class-A office buildings.”
