design is
holistic
Design Firm: VOA Associates Incorporated
Project Name/Client: RMB Capital Management LLC
Project Location: Chicago, IL
Product: Weave Tile
What is Design?
Design is a holistic process that brings together different elements into a completed concept the end result being the creation of a product, in this case an environment. We create that environment with the intention that people will live and work within it.
Design is an evolutionary process that starts with a seed of an idea. The seed is cultivated until it matures and embraces its own complexities. Done correctly design is an art form. Design should lift the spirits of people and transform them; it should encourage the people within the environment to bear fruit.
How is Design best illustrated through the project?
This design concept for the RMB Capital Management renovation exemplifies the international style, represents the ideals the company is built on trust, balance and growth, and pays homage to mid-century modern building in which it resides. While the environment is a workspace, we were continually challenged by our client partner to ensure that it also incorporated elements of home space that made it both professional and inviting. Breathtaking views of the city and lake afforded by the location were incorporated organically into the design, allowing the environment to both frame and stand toe-to-toe with Chicago’s impressive architectural heritage.
Biggest Design Challenge?
Maintaining the ideas of sophistication and professionalism while incorporating themes of comfort and relaxation requires a complicated solution. A little bit of restraint from each side creates a small zone where work and home overlap. The design team successfully worked to fold in traditional elements like bookcases, lamps and plants within a business vocabulary.
What made it Innovative or Unique?
One might think that working with a client’s spouse who is not a design professional would be unusually challenging, yet this relationship was a marriage made in heaven. The work at RMB was unique because of a collaborative effort with the CEO’s wife. Andrea Burridge had her own vision for the renovated space and her influence meshed well with the design team’s solutions for a blended professional/home environment. VOA found a way to integrate facets of home and maintain professional taste.
How did Design make a difference?
Our client reports that visitors to the newly renovated RMB space have said that is it the most unique design of a financial firm they have ever seen. By incorporating traditional interior elements with forward thinking, VOA changed the direction of the typical corporate brand. The space draws inspiration from nature, home and daylight in additional to marketing materials. The environment now reflects a blend of RMB’s mission statement, culture and client interactions that is friendly yet professionally successful.
