Corporate

Bartlit Beck

Chicago's oldest courthouse was transformed into a progressive new space for Bartlit Beck.

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Guests can see through the reception into the office allowing light to flow through the space.

Bartlit Beck occupies 58,000 square feet over 5 floors in the Courthouse Plaza. Gensler was tasked with modernizing the space while maintaining the integrity and beauty of the original building. Each space was thoughtfully planned out to maximize usage and engage the team and the community. Starting in the reception area, guests are greeted by the gorgeous original brick and historic roots coupled with modern hospitality.

The cafe connects employees and can host large public events. At the end of the cafe sits The Colosseum which allows for large celebrations of team successes. One of the most unique pieces added was the cafe table which resembles a traditional Chicago bridge. The cafe flows into the forum where the team can strategize about cases or take a mental break and play basketball. The Forum is flexible and equipped to support numerous activities.

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The cafe table resembles a Chicago bridge.

Corner offices, typically reserved for partners, were replaced by open hubs that offer new ways of working and interacting. The hubs are all unique and allow team's to choose from multiple settings to get comfortable and concentrate on their case. Once they are prepared they can head to the top floor where Courtroom and Trial Rooms reside. In these rooms, legal teams and clients can create a hyper-realistic simulated experience to prepare for trial.

Since the building is a historical landmark, special precautions had to be taken when moving furniture into the office and at times was a challenge because of the small original elevator and tight corners. The look was achieved using a combination of Geiger, MillerKnoll, Halcon, Andreu World and Coalesse product.