Firm： Epstein Global

Type： Commercial › Office

STATUS： Built

YEAR： 2009

SIZE： 25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft

This project is a 90,000 s.f. Corporate Headquarters for Serta International Mattress Co. located in the Prairie Stone Development of Hoffman Estates, IL. The program includes 65,000 square feet of office, wholesale showroom, and presentation areas plus a 25,000 square foot research & development center. The selected site borders a protected wetlands area, resulting in all work spaces having sweeping views of the natural landscape.

Serta's priorities have resulted in a design which respects and promotes an employee's right to work in an environment enriched by a connection to the natural world, through the extensive use of natural light, natural ventilation, outdoor work spaces and terraces. Serta has blazed a trail which redefines the nature of "work" for employees in the 21st century by commissioning a work of architecture which is not only functional, but also considers the mental and physical health of their workers as a main design priority. The building is located on a 20 acre parcel, situated on the edge of a natural wetlands system. Serta has developed the site to include natural prairie landscaping, overland drainage bioswales, previous paving, and other features which reinforce Serta's deep commitment to preserving and protecting the site's natural features. In fact, Serta chose to build less than 10% of the area allowed on the site and less then 50% of the required parking, in order to minimize the building's impact on the surrounding landscape.

The architectural composition of the building has been developed to express the two main programmatic functions: Research & Development and office work space. Each of these functions is distinctly articulated in the building massing. Located at the heart of the building are the public spaces such as showrooms, lunch room, and training Auditorium.

The building (700' long x 67' wide) has been designed to facilitate equal access to natural light, ventilation, and views of the wetlands for all employees. As a result, the building is expressed as a horizontal bar, generating a strong horizontal datum line.

To maintain this strong horizontal line, while accommodating excess program, finely detailed, projecting cantilevered bays have been developed which hover over the prairie landscape. The structural and architectural detailing has been designed to allow each bay to slide into the building, incorporating reveals between multiple wall layers, and sandwiched between the upper and lower concrete brows. This allows the program to grow organically, while reflecting the natural contours of the site.