River West
LOCATION
Chicago IL
DESCRIPTION
Commercial Office Complex
SIZE
5,200 sf
COMPLETED
2018
SERVICES
Landscape Design, Landscape Architecture,
Horticulture, Construction
MISSION
Create a relaxing, outdoor common area for tenants within an urban office complex anchored by two vintage brick buildings.
VISION
Give scale and shape to a vast, sunken terrace, designing a maze of open and private destinations defined by deck panels, bench seating and planted containers.
Inventive construction methods were required to accommodate the challenges and limitations of the existing concrete-slab site while delivering essential functions. Deck panels conceal irrigation and electrical lines, and provide access ramps meeting ADA guidelines.
The sunken courtyard provides a relaxing respite from the workspace with large, open spaces for group gatherings as well as small nooks for a quieter sense of privacy.
A series of custom plant containers constructed of locally-sourced, sustainable black locust are configured in a grid designed with intention based on sun conditions, water sources and elevation.
Oversized, powder-coated aluminum cubes are custom designed to host multi-stem river birches, giving height and dimension to the sunken courtyard while anchoring the varying spaces.
Long, linear plant containers fabricated of black locust lumber combine boxwood hedges and ornamental grasses to zone the space with a modern aesthetic.
An outdoor fire feature adds warmth to a larger, socializing area at one end of the garden.
A massive, 9-ft high Cor-Ten steel fence encloses the terrace, concealing an adjacent railway while providing strong contrast to the vintage brick. Upright ornamental switchgrass turns golden copper yellow in autumn offering a strong contrast with the corten steel fence’s weathered tones.
The courtyard’s notable mural by Chicagobased artist Ruben Aguirre was inspired by the landscape design’s color palette—green boxwoods, bluegreen Northwind switchgrass and little bluestem ornamental grasses.
