The New Cresa Headquarters Office is a Real-life Example of What’s Working Now

Case Study: Cresa Headquarters Relocation

At Cresa, we find and foster the best environment for every business, and we took this mission seriously when addressing our own need for a new headquarters location. We are heavy users of office space and demand a lot from it, understanding that space is not just a place to work, but can have a key role in productivity, recruiting and retention, culture and ultimately business success.

We used the pandemic remote work experience as an opportunity to rethink the importance and place of office space and created a plan to add space back in smartly, with specific goals in mind. We used it as an opportunity to rediscover the importance of the company office and created a space that is uniquely ours, fostering a feeling of belonging and collaboration that is core to our culture. 

While we embrace hybrid work and the work/life balance it enables, a remote-only strategy isn’t enough. Our team is more productive, collaborative, engaged and creative when they are together for at least some portion of the week. 

When considering a new headquarters location, we had the following requirements in mind. The space needed to accommodate a hybrid work strategy and serve as a launching pad for local and global business. It needed to facilitate getting work done independently, meeting and convening, exchanging ideas, and working in teams.

In choosing 167 Green Street, we selected a city, neighborhood, building and space that all come together to help us meet our goals. We chose Chicago for its central location within North America, acting as a launching pad, with easy travel to and from the office for team members across the United States and Canada.  

The Fulton Market District is a vibrant and active community that represents a contemporary style consistent with our culture and brand. It is a leading part of the Chicago market, and home to a wide variety of 3rd places that our team members can leverage to work outside of our office itself. 

167 Green Street raises workplace experience standards – not just in the Fulton Market District, but globally. The building's 17th floor Amenity Penthouse includes a 400-person town hall that doubles as a full-sized professional basketball court, an outdoor terrace with a vegetable and flower garden, as well as an indoor garage with EV charging stations and bike parking.

When designing the space, we took ques from the design of the 167 Green Street building, as well as neighboring assets like the Soho House and Hoxton Hotel, which were also developed by Shapack. This led to a hospitality aesthetic within the office. 

To embrace a hybrid work strategy, all space is unassigned and can be scheduled as needed, and the office is completely tech-enabled to allow team members to work from anywhere inside the office, building or neighborhood. A number of different functional areas accommodate independent work, small team collaboration, large town halls, training, meals, and social events.

The new Cresa headquarters office is a real-life example of what’s working now.