North Branch

a former coal crushing plant is brought back as a garden work space

The office space and lobby of this unique office redevelopment were conceived as an interior, stacked landscape. From entry to desk, users experience a vertical continuation of lush understories and canopies. A refined palette of blackened steel and sourced slate shingles joined with granite mortar compliments the dense planting and recalls the 100-year-old building’s history as a coal crushing plant.

The existing construction placed limits on lighting, irrigation, and drainage, as well as regulating temperature and humidity. The need for a versatile interior plant palette was met by Omni’s horticultural experts and the grower, who coordinated to assure that the hardiest and most forgiving multi-stem species would be scheduled for use on site.

The lobby’s ceiling was opened to accommodate 25’-tall, Dragon Trees which were woven though the structure, creating a terrarium effect in the offices above. Elsewhere, black olive trees provide height and impart a sense of nature. Succulents including cacti and aloe fill the understory.

Location
Chicago, IL

Type
Adaptive Reuse
Commercial
Office

Size
4,500 SF

Project Team
R2
Omni Workshop
Omni Rewild