In Construction
Operating for over 40 years in a near-constant capacity, this workhorse lab and office facility was long overdue for a refresh. This long-term, repeat client wanted to breathe new life into their tired and worn-out facility. With strategic space planning and extensive mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work, Collective Office, along with a team of consultants and the Hallstar team, peeled back the layers to bring the building into the modern era with a fresh start.
The new space at Hallstar Bedford Park pulls design cues from its sister project, Hallstar Beauty - Darien, creating a cohesive visual continuity between the two projects. Although this building lacks the height that the Darien location had, changes in ceiling materiality define spaces throughout the project that develops an intriguing composition of positive and negative space.
By tactfully removing portions of the existing interior CMU partitions, we were able to open the space up and make the building feel bigger and more connected. The two conference rooms are now able to be joined by articulating glass walls for larger events, three separate labs were combined into one large state-of-the-art lab space, complete with all new equipment. Introducing new glass partitions, glass doors, and interior windows extend the visual connections even further, allowing light and views to permeate the space.
The patchwork of outdated and underperforming equipment hidden from view was also wiped clean and given a fresh start, taking this renovation well beyond just a cosmetic update. Years of ad hoc repairs and modifications had turned the space into a maze of unseen infrastructure. The quality of the interior environment doesn't stop at the finishes we choose. We dive deeper to the bare bones that keep this place running as smoothly as possible, making sure the standard we use for the visual environment matches what is underneath.
As we near the end of construction, the client is excited to have a fresh start in their new space. A space capable of supporting the everyday tasks that this company performs, a space for more purposeful, peaceful, and productive lives.
