Salesforce Chicago Office

Agency: Mark Cavagnero Associates
Client: Salesforce

The 57-story Salesforce Chicago sits where the Chicago River’s three branches meet. The Ohana Floor, Salesforce’s marquee work and gathering space for the company's employees, customers, and the community at-large, sits on Levels 56-57. Clear sightlines and open flow allow everyone access to daylight and panoramic views of Chicago’s distinct cityscape.

The goal for the floor was to transform the global company’s workspaces to deepen the company’s commitment to “Ohana”—a Hawaiian term for “family” that describes their value system. The challenge required the design to reflect the uniqueness of the city’s urban locale while creating a cohesively branded experience with other Salesforce offices. All the while, the space needed to be underpinned with a direct connection to nature via views, daylight, and landscape to promote wellness, hospitality, and social harmony for its inhabitants. The design also had to be flexible so the floors can transform easily from function-to-function to enrich the bond between employees, customers, partners, and communities. Lastly, the project required to achieve a minimum LEED Gold certification to adhere to the company’s commitment to sustainability. The experience throughout the Ohana Floor is enhanced by several terraces - 2 large ones on Level 57 and intimate ones at the corners of Level 56. Linear ipe benches allow visitors to gather and take in the cityscape and Lake Michigan. Inside, the 2 floors are unified by warm teak floors/millwork and live plant columns. All perimeter columns are shrouded by a custom living wall system, creating a biophilic experience throughout. To augment the experience of walking through a garden and view the sky, three ocular skylights were carefully located throughout the floor. Level 57 features the Barista Bar and the Open Work Area. The Barista sits in a double-height space with an impressive mural of Wolf Point as its backdrop. With its direct view of Willis Tower, this full-service coffee lounge buzzes during the day with employees and serves as the hub for special events in the evenings. Around the corner, the Open Work Area allows for employees to work or socialize in a café-like setting and is supported by a few huddle rooms for private meetings. An open stair connects directly down to Level 56 which features large conference rooms and the Exhibition Kitchen. During the day, the Kitchen is a popular work area for employees where they can sample custom treats from the in-house culinary team. At night, the commercial-grade facility serves up formal dinners and passed hors d’oeuvres for guests attending Ohana Floor events. The project is slated to receive LEED Platinum certification.