Portable Design's proposed new office space will be located in the One North Dearborn building in Chicago. The space will total around 50,000 square feet spread across three floors, including areas for a reception area, furniture showroom, lounge spaces, cafeteria, gathering spaces, image/inspiration areas, game rooms, exercise rooms, music listening stations, bathrooms, storage, and employee areas. Key design elements include a bridge connecting the entry to the reception desk, an image wall providing inspiration, and yurts spread throughout as temporary meeting/gathering spaces. The overall experience of navigating the office is intended to feel nomadic like a journey.

1. PORTABLE DESIGN OFFICE
ONE NORTH DEARBORN
BUSINESS COMPLEX
AND FURNITURE SHOWROOM
By: Alicia Corcilius
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Instructor: Limia Shunia
Harrington College of Design

2. ANALYSIS

3. Portable Design
Who We Are:
Our company is deeply rooted in its history. Since the very founding of the company in 1965 by Emmett
Fitzgerald proposed our current work ethic of innovation in furniture design, which is a reflection of our
company overall.
What We Believe:
Modernity is a design aesthetic that we portray in all of our furniture designs, as we believe in the
honesty of materials and lack of ornamentation. Specifically, all Portable designs utilize natural
materials, such as rattan, bamboo, woven peel, solid teak, laced rawhide, and Oriental hardwoods.
Each carefully designed piece is meant to be convertible from porch furniture to living room furniture.
Design: Our relationship with Designers in the field of Interior Design has helped aid in
the progress of our creativity. They give our people a new insight to what furniture
design can be.
Innovation: Often not the design intent, innovation has been a part of Portable’s
history. Our research and willingness to meet our customer’s needs drives our
designs to change shape. We believe in taking risks and encourage each member of
our design team to experiment with materials, and processes to design solutions to
solve each problem given to them.
Operational Excellence: The client’s needs are of great concern to us, as we try to
maintain and organize our business. Our customers are not only concerned with
manufacturing, delivery, instillation, and ongoing service; they are concerned with our
reliability and their relationship with Portable. From our dealers, to our manufacturers,
to our vendors, each and every division of our company puts the customer first.
CLIENT
What We Do:
We study living environments and design and deliver products to make these spaces function better.
Where We Are:
Our furniture is available to homeowners and companies worldwide. Our international retail
store locations include both Paris and London. In the United States, we have retail store
locations in Washington DC, Michigan, and New York, just to name a few. Our newest
location is opening in Chicago, Illinois on Dearborn Street. Our trade showrooms are only
open to design professionals, although the public is welcome to browse. These include
showrooms in California, where our headquarters is located, New York, Illinois, and
Washington.

4. One North Dearborn
In analyzing my project and its spatial needs, I have
drawn conclusions on which of the proposed four
floor plates I would like to begin planning in. I
believe that the One North Dearborn building will be
Floor Functions/ Square Quantity Total Square the best area to plan in to fit McGuire’s office needs.
Number Areas Footage Footage The total square footage per floor is forty-five to fifty
thousand square feet, which will provide for an open
1 Entrance 64 1 64 interior. One North Dearborn also has a more open
interior because there aren’t as many interior
1 Reception 4,378 1 4,378 columns. Due to the fact that the building is in the
BUILDING ANALYSIS
1 Furniture 11,087 1 11,087 heart of the city, there is nearby transportation.
Overall, the building fits in the fabric of the street and
Showroom what exists currently on Dearborn.
1, 2 Lounge Area 2,259 2 4,518
2 Café 1,970 1 1,970
2 Gathering Space 3,197 1 3,197
3 Images Area 1,887 1 1,887
3 Game Room 2,288 1 2,288
3 Exercise Room 2,516 1 2,516
3 Music Listening 3,316 1 3,316
Station
1, 2, 3 Bathrooms 80 3 240
1, 2, 3 Storage Room 50 2 100
2, 3 Supply Room 10 2 20
1 Employee Coats 20 1 20
2, 3 File Cabinets 27 2 54
SUBTOTAL 35,655
Circulation 40% 14,262
GRAND TOTAL 49,917 SF

5. SITE PLAN

6. BUILDING FOOTPRINTS

7. Bridge Landscape
FIRST FLOOR EXPERIENCE MAP
Creates Provides a point of
connectivity interest or rest for
within the space people’s visual
as it spans it. perception.
Growth Rings
Displays the age of
the tree in the form of
rings. The showroom
would therefore
impart knowledge to
customers about the
company’s growth.

8. Campground
SECOND FLOOR EXPERIENCE MAP
Daylight
Tents shelter one Plants in any sort of
from the elements environment need a
that occur in nature, source of energy, of
such as rain and which, they receive
gusty winds. This from the sun. Light is a
area will provide a necessary element in
more private, any space, and can be
temporary dwelling applied here.
for workers to
settle.
Herd Moving
Like animals, we
tend to travel in Environment
groups, which helps
(Interior stair that
us feel more social.
leads to each floor.)
This space will be a
collaborative area
for the company.

9. Image Area
THIRD FLOOR EXPERIENCE MAP
Eye Path
Visual stimulation is In nature animals
an ever-present flock and migrate
part of life. Putting towards various
together scenes destinations. In the
from past working world one
experiences help must have trails to
aid in the creative follow as well.
process, which the
workers here must
encounter.
Love Yurt
Ambience For most animals in
nature mating is
In general nature almost like a game
has an overall to get noticed by a
mood or tone. In future mate. This
this area, room will be a place
employees will be for social
able to relax and interaction to occur
enjoy their within the working
surroundings. environment.

10. The entryway of Portable
Design’s office space will
be a bridge, which spans
from the main entry doors
to the reception desk.
BRIDGE VIGNETTE
First Floor

11. In order to spark creativity,
Portable Design’s office space
includes a wall, which displays
various images.
IMAGE WALL VIGNETTE
Third Floor

12. Spread throughout
Portable’s office space,
Yurts similar to this one,
will serve as a destination
point for employees.
YURT VIGNETTE
Third Floor

13. Image Wall Moving
This area of the Environment
Yurt building provides
Overall one’s experience in this office
one of the many
Many of these environment is a nomadic journey. The
ways employees of
circular structures passage between floors becomes this
Portable can get
can be found walkway, which guides the population.
inspiration for their
throughout the The width of this element will also allow
designs.
building as they for impromptu meetings if necessary.
relate to the
temporary
gathering space
that the employees
utilize.
BUILDING SECTION
Bridge
This element of the
office space
demands attention
as it occurs
immediately as one
enters the building.