Opened 1983
This five-story, 385,000-square foot building is the world headquarters of Steelcase Inc. The office areas are a working showroom and laboratory for studying how people work in various settings.
Designed for efficiency, the building includes a custom energy-storage system. Selections from the corporate art collection are displayed throughout, and a center atrium and glass elevator provide many opportunities for viewing.
In 1996, 25,000 square feet of the building were transformed into a new kind of team space for Steelcase’s executives. The space, called The Leadership Community, was designed to support greater collaboration, faster decision-making and improved business results.
Instead of private offices, it consists of a variety of settings for various types of work and interaction. For example, an executive can choose to work in one setting for a confidential discussion that is very private, another setting for focused computer work and then another for meeting with a group of colleagues.