SRAM Offices – Chicago
IRIDIO redesigned SRAM’s office in Chicago using eco-friendly techniques such as repurposing existing furniture and emphasizing natural light to create a bike trail-inspired space conducive to work and employee movement.
SRAM, a bicycle component manufacturer, occupied a full floor of a former cold-storage building in Chicago’s bustling Fulton Market District. After the Covid 19 pandemic saw the need to expand their HQ, they engaged interior design firm IRIDIO to help navigate the best use of space and departments for relocation.
With budget and project timeline of utmost importance, existing architectural millwork and appliances were reused, and select furniture pieces left behind from the previous tenant thoughtfully repurposed. The concrete deck and MEP equipment were painted in an organic wave reminiscent of a bike trail, which grounds the building core. This strategic move saved on cost from previous design iterations, while maintaining impact.
Lightweight power beams with acrylic panels were selected so natural light could penetrate through the Open Office, in combination with acoustical panels to reduce noise at the workstation level. A popular high-end restaurant on the floor below made the ability to core for power at each workstation pack too costly to consider. Instead, minimal power poles run floor to deck in SRAM red.
Guests should be mindful going in and out of Huddle Rooms, as employees are often seen traversing the floor by bicycle, which IRIDIO accommodated by planning ample circulation. The heartbeat of the office is the Café, open to the entire Open Office acting as both a coffee point and informal meeting area, an adjacency employees find most favorable in their new office digs.
Design: IRIDIO
Design Team: Kate Brown
Architect: Marc Anderson Architects
Contractor: Skender
Furniture Dealer: Corporate Concepts, Henricksen
PM: Randy Bartosh of Conopco
Lighting: Chicago Lightworks
Photography: Kendall McCaugherty | Hall+Merrick+McCaugherty Photography