Omni Ecosystems Headquarters

a corporate headquarters relocation driven by growth, sustainability, inclusivity, & community investment

After outgrowing its previous corporate headquarters in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood, Omni Ecosystems sought a new office facility that could support a diverse array of functions performed by its multidisciplinary team; communicate its brand as a leading green infrastructure and landscape architecture company; and enable it to fulfill its mission with a community-driven focus. In 2019, Omni purchased a 2.5-acre block in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood to house its new headquarters that consists of 65,000 SF of connected buildings and 1-acre of open land. The team officially moved into the building in the summer of 2020.

Located at 4131 S. State Street, the industrial facility used to house the historic Bowman Dairy Company bottling factory. Built in the 1920s, this adaptive reuse project includes an ADA accessible rooftop, deck, and expansive green roofs along with open offices, meeting spaces, outdoor yard space, an indoor plant library and conservatory, a material library, warehouse, and R&D space. Atop the building is flexible event space and a green roof designed, installed, and maintained by the Omni team. The master plan for the site includes converting the 1-acre open lot into publicly accessible open space with an immersive nature preserve founded on opportunities for respite, education, habitat creation, and stormwater management and planting over 150 new trees on the property.

Falling within INVEST South/West’s geographic boundary and sitting directly across from the former Robert Taylor homes site in an Opportunity Zone, Omni’s headquarters is designed to both build local community wealth and help reverse the historic levels of disinvestment and decades of neglect the greater Bronzeville community has experienced. In addition to participating in job posting boards across the Bronzeville community and hiring local contractors for both the building’s renovation and ongoing facilities services, Omni has embarked on numerous other ventures to see this commitment through. The first-floor tenant in the building, Hatch Chicago, is a nonprofit co-working space prioritizing Bronzeville residents as members. The low membership rate is subsidized by generous donors to the nonprofit, ensuring Hatch can offer space at below-market rates.

Location
Chicago, IL

Type
Corporate
Commercial
Adaptive Reuse

Size
2.5 acres