Walgreens

A new 19,750 SF corporate headquarters office for their Product Development & Innovation Team.

Walgreens’ Product Development & Innovation Team is the catalyst behind their health and wellness initiative. They are a highly collaborative group with a meeting intensive culture. Originally spread out among several buildings on their Deerfield campus, this group spent a lot of time traveling on campus to attend meetings. Walgreens recognized a need to consolidate their PD&I team under one roof, as well as an opportunity to create an environment which would foster the cross-functional sharing of ideas in a fluid space that accommodates diverse work styles. Walgreens understood early on that innovative problem solving doesn’t just take place at a desk during prescribed hours, and that it often arises from chance meetings that are strengthened by individuals who cross departmental and team boundaries. The design of this space was focused on facilitating this interaction through the use of formal and informal areas that provide an inviting setting and encourage the exchange of ideas. Central to this concept and at the core of this space is a media rich café with light scale, movable furniture that nurtures a high degree of interaction. Transparent project rooms surround and open up to this café, and their use as workrooms that allow for the display work in progress reinforces the premise of the design. Overall the plan is open, allowing for a generous amount of natural light into the space. Individual work areas are organized into neighborhoods, with each having access to a variety of enclaves that provide alternative work space when increased privacy or a high degree of concentration is required.