Designer Forum: An amenity space defines a downtown Chicago office building amid the corporate sector’s push to lure back workers – April 2025

By Richard Tepp

Located at 225 W. Washington Street is an award-winning office building tenant amenity space that showcases emerging trends in the corporate sector. With the popularity of work-from-home, the project answers the question, “How do buildings attract people to come into the office?” Chicago-based Wright Heerema Architects repurposed two levels of education space into a captivating lounge amenity for Agave Holdings LLC, offering a shared common area for building tenants to get away from their office to host meetings, enjoy lunch, connect with colleagues or let off steam by playing games such as pool, shuffleboard or classic video arcade machines.

In addition to Best in Show in this year’s Fuse Spark Awards (see more on page 79), the project won the 2024 Illinois REjournals’ Interior Design–Office Award and was named a Small Project of the Year at the 2024 CoreNet Global Chicago Chapter REAL Awards. The key to successfully bringing this project to life was strong collaboration with the client, the CBRE Group project management team, and general contractor J.C. Anderson. Crafting the amenity space presented logistical and scheduling challenges. It was this level of partnership, which included flooring contractor Flooring Resources Corporation, that was highlighted in the Spark Award win.

A NEW-AGE AMENITY SPACE
Originally constructed in 1987, the building lacked modern amenities crucial for drawing tenants and enhancing market appeal. The first floor now offers a gaming area, public and semi-private lounge areas, and renovated restrooms. Placing the amenity space on the ground floor, open off the elevator lobby, enables building tenants to see each other, providing a community space that is “theirs.” The lounge serves as a respite from the typical office environment, giving people a break from their daily activities and offering another setting in which to work.

Upon entrance, guests are greeted by a prominent bar that serves as a gathering spot for coffee in the morning and “something stronger” in the evening. A key feature of the bar is ornamental pipe organ metal with lighting hanging over the back bar, framing Agave Holdings’ bottle display. A grand staircase dominates the room, leading users up to an intimate lounge in the mezzanine.

The concept for the lounge was “vintage Chicago,” drawing inspiration from the light and reflections of the city skyline at night and daytime reflections from the river flowing through the middle of the city. The Old Chicago aesthetic, with refined details and rustic elements such as brick and steel, is balanced against the sophisticated stairway, bar and fireplace. The walls are covered with a dark and dramatic patterned wallcovering. Dark overtones and jeweled furniture evoke a moody ambiance.

The existing space had a 9’ high ceiling suspended in a volume that’s 27’ high. The design team hung beaded drapery from the ceiling to reflect the light and bring down the height of the ceiling, creating a more intimate lounge. The lighting bounces off and highlights the screens above. Drapery along the window walls helps mute the activity outside while providing an unexpected hospitality feel to the lounge.

Amenity and office spaces are beginning to lean more toward the hospitality market for inspiration, elevating the design away from residential, which people have at home. The elevated experience, with luxurious finishes and dramatic lighting, makes users feel special. The design team went in this direction to provide a memorable experience for the building’s current and prospective tenants, and since the space debuted, the building has shot up to the top of many commercial brokers’ touring lists.

A CHALLENGING INSTALLATION
The amenity area’s functionality is ensured with the diverse array of spaces. The main lounge utilizes wood flooring, carpet tile and marble mosaic tile that help “zone” the plan into walkways, seating areas, gaming and bar spaces.

The team chose materials that reflect the design: engineered wood flooring from Woodwright for warmth; a colorful carpet inset to anchor the pool table; and a large luxurious area rug to provide a dramatic design within the mezzanine, where the wood flooring continues. On the ground floor, Tile Club’s Calacatta Gold Penny Round surrounds the central island, which serves as a workspace, dining space and a manned bar during events. The mosaic elevates the design and reflects the curves of the beaded drapery above, and the carpet tiles-Cumulus and Smolder Demi-Plank from J+J Flooring and Gatsby from Interface’s Flor-also highlight the organic nature of the design.

An experienced flooring contractor was necessary to produce the curves in the flooring and some of the sharp flooring transitions, which Flooring Resources Corp. handled expertly. None of the flooring finishes could be installed until the curved steel stair was completed, due to the lift work going on in the lounge. And once the specialty stair’s details were finalized and released for fabrication, the sourcing of materials and fabrication were not something that could be expedited.

Leveling the floors so the thicknesses of materials could align again shut down the lobby in many areas. Coordination was key, and so was the sequencing. Installation in any area of the project could not be rushed; the final product and detail needed to be met no matter what.

“I was very impressed with the entire team and my superintendent on their ability to shift, move and coordinate trades to get work completed out of sequence and still execute the high-level finishes as much as they did,” says J.C. Anderson CEO Joe Maguire. “It was extremely impressive and would not have been able to be done without intense coordination and communication. There were a lot of trades and lifts in one small area.”

The team-client, designers, contractors and project management consultants-all previously worked together for an amenity space renovation at 303 W. Madison in Chicago, so they had a strong foundation of trust, which was paramount to the success of this project.

The 225 W. Washington St. project positively impacts tenant wellness and satisfaction by providing an enticing space for them to step outside their typical office environment and connect to their community.

It’s a unique office building amenity in the city-a complete departure from the traditional office environment. Finding such a tall space in the city is rare, allowing for a truly distinctive design. The space gives off a feeling of exclusivity while remaining accessible to all employees in the building.

Copyright 2025 Floor Focus 

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