Firm： Solomon Cordwell Buenz

Type： Commercial › Office

STATUS： Built

YEAR： 2020

SIZE： 25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft

Vital Proteins (VP), a collagen-based wellness company, selected SCB to design their new 26,000-square-foot headquarters in Chicago’s vibrant Fulton Market District. As an adaptive reuse of an existing meat packing facility, the design for Vital Proteins’ new headquarters capitalizes on the physical qualities of the unique original structure to embody the Vital Proteins brand. The exposed brick and concrete of the original loft building are complemented by natural design elements. Whitewashed wood, verdant living walls, vibrant visuals, and geometric elements made from authentic, sustainable materials, create the laid-back, coastal ambiance. The resulting design is a modern, California-inspired “lifestyle office” that facilitates an emotional connection to the company’s brand pillars: health and wellness, fitness, and natural beauty.

The workplace promotes communication and teamwork and is connected by a “boardwalk” that serves as the main circulation path through the space. A central two-story atrium features a café and a large social stair used for all-staff meetings, gatherings and presentations by influencers, brand partners, and clients.

VP’s lifestyle office represents a shift from the more conventional branded environments design approach to one more focused on embodying the ethos of a company. While branding elements are thoughtfully integrated through the workplace, the primary design drivers for the space were health, wellness, fitness, and natural beauty. Abundant natural light combined with live plants throughout the office help bring the outdoors, in, elevating the overall mood of employees, especially through the long Chicago winters. The prominence and central location of the connecting social stair promotes community building and collaboration, as well as movement, encouraging employees to use it as the primary means of circulation in lieu of the elevator. Several wellness rooms are provided to ensure employees have comfortable, private spaces available for their use throughout the day.