Taking a cue from the boat-shaped floorplates of 71 S. Wacker, the offices of investment firm TradeLink have the dark look characteristic of sea-going vessels. The goal was to steer clear of a trendy, short-lived look, and present the firm standing steady on its sea legs.
This project won an AIA Chicago design award. The design, said one juror, is ‘ominous and brooding." Another called it "moody, atmospheric, [the] opposite of so many corporate interiors."
The container-like spaces are easy to reconfigure, providing flexibility for TradeLink's future.