Hallstar Derrien

Darien, IL / 2019–2021

Our client approached us seeking an architectural solution for a wide range of programmatic needs. Situated within an existing warehouse with 35’ ceilings, this new space for a growing Chicago company includes a new corporate office, laboratory, manufacturing area, and warehouse space for the production of their products.

In order to break up this tall space into a more human scale, we have created a “little village” comprised of gabled house-shaped volumes that each contain a different office program. This gives each location a unique identity that translates into an exciting interior experience. Just outside of the village, a mezzanine gives more comfortable working conditions for open workstations and office while allowing the opportunity for visitors to view the village from above or engage with the laboratory during tours through large, borrowed-light windows. The mezzanine is accessed via a stadium-style meeting stair.

We are providing a wide range of flexible work areas with different degrees of privacy to suit the nuanced nature of tasks Hallstar’s diverse group of employees perform every day. This stair is used as an informal working location, an alternate eating location, and for company-wide addresses. The cafe features custom millwork, a family-style table, and dining nooks that may also be used for meetings. Felt and acoustic ceiling tiles are used extensively to provide auditory comfort and verbal privacy against hard surfaces. The back of house areas are carefully programmed in order to provide required adjacencies.

Credits