Mobilezone.chicago is the 30,000 sf, $4.5M flagship project in an effort by Motorola, Inc. to transform its corporate culture by providing a facility for its mobile workforce that includes a variety of flexible workstations, private offices, conference rooms, and collaboration spaces.
Located in a 1970’s-era office tower designed by the Office of Mies Van Der Rohe, mobilezone.chicago responds to the rigid Miesian grid by selectively introducing curved walls and that articulate circulation paths throughout the space. In lieu of a traditional hierarchy of spaces assigned to specific employees, all work spaces in this facility are “checked out” on an as-needed basis by employees to suit their specific needs at a given time, ranging from open workstations to a variety of private offices and conference rooms. Extensive use of transparency, indirect lighting, and corporate branding creates a dynamic space that further enhances employee morale and productivity.
The flexible nature of this new workspace provides a 38% increase in capacity over a more traditional office layout, and saves Motorola $2.5M annually in real estate costs. In addition, employees using this facility have reported saving up to three hours a day in commute times compared to driving to Motorola’s suburban facilities.
Project responsibilities included initial site surveys, collaboration with the project team and client during schematic design and design development, coordination of construction documents, and construction administration.
Completed while employed at Menus Tanager, 2005 – 2007
Lead Designer: Jackson Boren
Project Manager: Eileen Mix
Photography: Jeff Millies / Hedrick Blessing