Transforming raw loft space into a functional and visually pleasing space was an "enlightening" opportunity for the Chicago, IL, architectural firm of Harry Weese Associates (HWA). The company was selected to create a new branch office in an old loft building in Chicago's River North area for Paul H. Schwendener, Inc. that would embody the spirit of the firm and afford its employees a smoothly operating working environment.

Paul H. Schwendener, Inc. is one of Chicago's largest construction firms with a diverse portfolio of projects, including acute health care, commercial, continued care, corporate, industrial and multi-family housing. Its corporate office is located in west-suburban Westmont, IL, but a downtown Chicago presence was desired to better meet the needs of clients. In its new Chicago location, the firm, which also served as general contractor, occupies 7,000 square feet on the third floor of the four-story building.

Founded in 1921, the Schwendener company is established in the construction field, and for this reason, it shied away from a completely contemporary design. On the other hand, it wanted existing and potential clients to feel that they were entering the offices of a forward-thinking contractor. The resultant design seamlessly blends 20th-century technology with the solid craftsmanship that harkens to a former era.

Lighting the Way
Lighting is an integral part of the office's design. The main entry, opposite the elevator lobby, is reached by crossing a glass-block bridge that spans a four-story atrium. The bridge is illuminated from below with blue neon, which creates a tranquil, watery effect. "Our intention was for the whole office to be open to the atrium at the center of the building," said Dave Munson, design principal for HWA. "We didn't quite achieve that because of fire separation requirements, but we made an effort to establish the entrance to the office by way of the glass-block bridge across the atrium and by installing a new handrail around the atrium." The sleek, graceful metal handrail replaces the original, which consisted of painted drywall topped by a wooden rail, and opens up the space while updating the entry sequence.

The design scheme originally included two ceiling-recessed projection lamps -- one by the elevator and the other in the reception area -- which projected light patterns onto the floor. A simple theatrical spotlight outfitted to accept different stamped sheet metal patterns, these lights were designed to shine the Schwendener logo onto the floor, project a leafy pattern that suggested light filtering through trees, or display holiday-related patterns. Unfortunately, since the atrium is generally bathed in light, the effect was too subtle in the daytime. Using a brighter light was unsuccessful and resulted in the lights overheating, so now they are no longer being used.

Upon entering the reception area, other dramatic lighting effects are present. A baseboard made of glass block, backlit with blue neon, circles the reception area and introduces the lighting first encountered on the bridge into the office. A curved wall of fritted glass panels topped by clear glass from door height to the exposed-wood ceiling joists delineate the space between the reception area and the conference room beyond. A luminous fiber optic tube snakes along and follows the S-curve of the wall. The illuminator for the fiber optic is a color wheel, which runs all day. The colorful tube, which changes hues at 30-second intervals through the color spectrum from violet to yellow, keeps the space from becoming static.

"One of the interesting things about this project is that it is a study of positive and negative spaces with regard to the use of light," explained lighting consultant Bob Shook of Schuler and Shook. "It was our intent to create an interesting hierarchy of light, reinforcing more significant spaces with light." For example, the reception area is an instance of negative space juxtaposed against three bright areas: the receptionist's desk on one side of the entrance, the waiting area on the other and the conference area opposite the doorway. Hallways are other instances of positive and negative space. "We envisioned the corridors as somewhat dark -- sort of an intake of breath before you went somewhere else," explained Shook. So, rather than trying to interject a lot of light into the hallways, the designers opted for light sconces mounted on wooden columns, which protrude slightly from the wall.

After deciding upon the location for the lights, the architects and lighting consultants turned to detailing the sconces and determining how they would be attached to the columns. All agreed that they did not want to attach conduit to the columns. In the end, they decided to attach a piece of glass to the column and aim a light at it from the ceiling. Munson and Shook collaborated on the form of the fixtures, trying different samples and shapes of glass, methods of frosting and ways of aiming light at it. The final solution: a sandblasted, S-curved piece of glass illuminated by a narrow, three-degree incandescent lamp located about six inches from the column and aimed straight down so that it hits the glass without hitting the column.

Clerical work stations occupy the four corners of the office and are devoid of natural light, so it was important to outfit the work stations with appropriate task lighting. To retain the clean look of floor-to-ceiling loft spaces and avoid hanging fluorescent lights, incandescent lights were utilized in these spaces from two directions. One provides a straight-down light on task surfaces and allows the light to reflect off and become the ambient light in the space through reflections. The other locates slim, under-counter lights beneath the higher transaction counters to illuminate the lower counters.

A Nod to Building's History
All private offices are located on the office perimeter. Partitions either curve around or slide past the foot-square heavy timber columns. To afford audio privacy, butt-glazed glass rises from the doorhead-height partitions to the ceiling on perimeter offices. Where audio privacy isn't such an issue, open-topped partitions are used. A space of about six inches exists between columns and partitions, thus including the prominent structure as a design feature and a reminder of the building's past use as a light manufacturing building.

The patina of the salvaged wood floors -- running throughout the reception area and conference room -- and beams, white oak trim, sandblasted brick walls and exposed HVAC ductwork act as a foil to the finish materials. Cheryl Souder, interior designer for the project, selected a custom rug for the waiting area that would mimic the curving reception area/conference room wall. The curved, modified grand piano shape enlivens the space and introduces a splash of color -- deep teal with a dab of scarlet in each corner -- into the otherwise neutral tones of the office. The port wine-colored carpet beneath the custom-designed green granite conference table takes a cue from the brick walls and the tones in the wood columns.

The remainder of the office is outfitted with broadloom carpet. "Since we knew we would be making the rest of the office much simpler than the reception area, we felt it was very important to put down a carpet that had pattern," explained Souder. "It not only delineates the floor but also is handy on high-traffic areas that come into contact with dirt from construction sites."

Teamwork between the architects and consultants was important in realizing the many innovative concepts in this project. And, as is often the case in the creative process, some initial setbacks and frustrations were overcome to successfully bring this project to life.

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