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Amenity spaces build comfort – and productivity – at Uber’s communal Chicago office

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Gensler Chicago designed the Uber Talent Hub located in the historic Chicago Old Post Office. - James John Jetel
Meeting rooms and relaxation areas serve as buffers to the 25 different neighbourhoods, located along the primary circulation path. - Connie Zhou
Uber’s offices occupy 29,000 sq-m of the building across three floors and provide workspaces for over 2,000 employees. - James John Jetel

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Design
Client
Floor Area
29,000 sq-m

Gensler's design for the Uber Talent Hub in Chicago prompts productivity through spaces geared toward individual and collective wellbeing.

Key features

Gensler Chicago designed the Uber Talent Hub in the historic Chicago Old Post Office, a building also home to other large corporations. Uber’s offices occupy three floors spanning 29,000 sq-m, with workspaces for over 2,000 employees. Each level is organized with spaces dedicated to specific activities, including networking, meetings and refuelling. Work 'neighbourhoods' are interspersed with amenities, creating a diverse interior landscape. Meeting rooms and relaxation areas serve as buffers between the 25 different neighbourhoods, sat along a central circulation path. The office supports varied work modes, with areas ranging from open co-working-like nooks to private focus zones. Long tables and open booths allow for casual, in situ work. And the diverse amenties programme supports individual wellness, with the presence of reflection spaces, a yoga studio, game room, rooftop green space and chromatherapy rooms. The Uber workspace has achieved LEED Gold + Well Building Gold Certifications.

FRAME’s take

‘[Amenities are] about creating spaces where employees have a choice in the type of environments that suit their personalities, physical abilities, neurodiversities, or the task at hand,’ Philippe Paré, principal of Gensler Paris said in our latest white paper, on the empathetic workplace. ‘Creating spaces to shut yourself away from all noise and distractions one moment, and joining a lively communal atmosphere the next, means that everyone’s sensory needs are being catered to.’ This approach, embodied in the Uber Chicago office, represents a new generation of community-led workplaces that prioritize the wellbeing of their employees through diverse spaces and programming. Amenities double as tools that can be used by employees to ensure their comfort and wellbeing, encouraging more organic productivity.

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