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#COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS

perkins + will winds a bicycle test track through SRAM's chicago HQ

global architecture and design firm perkins + will has completed an office in chicago that features an indoor bicycle track.

located inside a former cold storage warehouse in the city’s fulton market district, the 72,000-square foot facility promotes collaboration among employees through a light-filled, open floor plan. commissioned by SRAM, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of bicycle components, the brief called for an interior that connected staff by providing a range of collaborative spaces. an additional component of the design is the integration of the firm’s product development spaces, including a working lab and a machine shop.

the 1/8 mile test track winds through the office, connecting each area of the plan. along the route are several types of open and enclosed meeting spaces that provide multiple options for collaboration. a café functions as an all-day work space — offering a venue for casual meetings as well as facilitating larger gatherings, such as viewing stages of the famous tour de france. informal meetings also occur on the outdoor terrace, which wraps around the office and overlooks the city. corporate functions that require confidentiality are still connected to the rest of the office with glazed meeting rooms that open out onto public spaces.

SRAM executives had several objectives for their new headquarters: increased flexible space for communal collaboration; privacy for human resources, legal, and product development; workspace for machining and testing parts; and support features, such as a bicycle cleaning station, locker rooms, showers, tire air-filling stations, a bike repair shop, and bike racks for the more than 100 employees who cycle to work each day. ‘we believe in the power of bicycles to transform lives, and, in this new space, our culture celebrates that,’ explains david zimberoff, vice president of marketing for SRAM. ‘people are really stoked. how could you not walk a prospect or a new employee through here and not have them want to work here?’

along the route are several types of open and enclosed meeting spaces

Details

  • Chicago, IL, USA
  • perkins + will