Gensler’s design for Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg’s new Chicago headquarters harmoniously integrates timeless aesthetics with cutting-edge sustainability, fostering a vibrant, people-centered workplace that embraces the city’s cultural essence.

After 30 years in the same location, Chicago-based Neal, Gerber, & Eisenberg (NGE) decided to relocate its headquarters to “The Bell,” a recently renovated, landmark-designated high rise in the heart of Chicago’s Loop neighborhood. The move represents a new chapter for the nation’s largest single-office law firm, reaffirming its continued commitment and investment in the city and central business district.

Seeking to redefine its workplace experience while advancing its people-first culture, the law firm enlisted Gensler to help design their new space. By effortlessly blending professional, timeless, and forward-thinking design, the new office establishes a new industry standard that promotes wellness and energizes its staff and clients.

The new office spans three floors and is centered around a hospitality-first approach, featuring a range of top-tier amenities that offer moments to restore and re-energize, including a speakeasy-inspired “Club Café,” which features a fireplace and a variety of seating options to comfortably accommodate staff working alone or together. Warm wood tones and tactile finishes balance the sunlit space, creating an inviting community atmosphere. Local artists and plants displayed in the office create an emotional connection to Chicago, bringing the landscape and culture inside the perimeter of the office environment.

Attorney work areas were reimagined to expand the definition of a traditional law office and reflect the warmth of NGE’s family-oriented culture. Every corner of the office serves as a potential workspace, as conference rooms equipped with the latest audiovisual technology and tablets support seamless meetings and mobility. To connect NGE’s culture vertically, a custom, internal staircase allows for an integrated, uninterrupted flow of collaborative energy throughout the office.

Culturally, the “right to light” shaped the overall design approach, ensuring all employees have access to natural daylight and panoramic views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan from their dedicated workspace. Perimeter attorney offices, all equal in size, feature glass-fronted facades letting natural light flood the interior of the space.

NGE aimed to set a new industry standard for their long-standing legacy of environmental sustainability, a core value of their business philosophy. Therefore, pursuing the most rigorous certification in sustainable design was a key success factor for the project and climate action strategies informed every decision of the design process. Flooring, walls, and finishes are made up of sustainable materials to reduce the carbon footprint. Furniture and finish selections were guided by Gensler’s Product Sustainability (GPS) Standards – performance criteria for the most used, high-impact product categories selected for our architecture and interior projects. NGE also reused, repurposed, or donated a substantial portion of its existing furnishings to Humble Design, a local nonprofit that supports individuals transitioning out of homelessness.

NGE’s new workplace achieved LEED Platinum Certification and earned both Net Zero Carbon and Net Zero Energy Certified status through GBI’s Journey to Net Zero program. Based on available public data, NGE is the only office in Chicago to achieve these twin pinnacle sustainability certifications.