“Many businesses feel that in order to attract and retain a quality workforce they need to be located in the city,” she adds. “While we do maintain an office presence for several hundred employees, we have found a highly skilled workforce in the suburbs and we look forward to continuing to grow our business from this suburban location. This new headquarters reflects our rededication to the Chicago region and to the North American market, which is an important component of our global business strategy.”

“The building defines a bold new image for Zurich,” adds Paul De Santis, GP principal and lead designer for the project. “The building's open nature—inside and out—allows employees to interact and engage with each other in ways that were never possible in their previous facility.”

Recently certified LEED Platinum, GP officials say that reflects the insurance firm's commitment to environmental stewardship. “You simply cannot reach this level of sustainable design without support at the highest levels,” says Joseph Dolinar, GP partner-in-charge for the project.

In addition to GP and Clayco, the project team included Zurich, client representative JLL, CannonDesign, structural engineer WSP/Halvorson and Partners, Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects, and V3 Cos., an engineering firm, among others.

CHICAGO—Although a host of firms have recently decided to relocate from Chicago's periphery to the central business district, Zurich North America decided to stay in Schaumburg, its longtime home, and the company's just-unveiled headquarters shows what possibilities open up when architects have the space and freedom afforded by a suburban campus.

Architecture firm Goettsch Partners and developer Clayco celebrated the opening yesterday of the 783,800-square-foot building, which nearly 3,000 employees and contractors will begin moving into next month as they leave a pair of nearby towers.

Zurich North America chose a design that sets it off from other complexes. Composed of three primary “bars” that are offset and stacked, the arrangement gives employees open views of the surrounding landscape and allows sunlight to flood more of the offices and amenity spaces than is possible in typical center-core buildings. Furthermore, the top “bar” of the complex soars 11 stories and makes a striking visual impression on drivers going by on the interstate.

“Zurich is proud to continue its presence in Schaumburg,” Jen Kyung, business lead for the ZNA headquarters project, tells GlobeSt.com. “We looked at a number of locations before deciding where to locate our new headquarters. We did a zip code analysis of where our employees live, and saw an undeniable concentration in the north and north west suburbs. We have been in Schaumburg for more than three decades, and wanted to retain our highly trained workforce in our new building.”

“Many businesses feel that in order to attract and retain a quality workforce they need to be located in the city,” she adds. “While we do maintain an office presence for several hundred employees, we have found a highly skilled workforce in the suburbs and we look forward to continuing to grow our business from this suburban location. This new headquarters reflects our rededication to the Chicago region and to the North American market, which is an important component of our global business strategy.”

“The building defines a bold new image for Zurich,” adds Paul De Santis, GP principal and lead designer for the project. “The building's open nature—inside and out—allows employees to interact and engage with each other in ways that were never possible in their previous facility.”

Recently certified LEED Platinum, GP officials say that reflects the insurance firm's commitment to environmental stewardship. “You simply cannot reach this level of sustainable design without support at the highest levels,” says Joseph Dolinar, GP partner-in-charge for the project.

In addition to GP and Clayco, the project team included Zurich, client representative JLL, CannonDesign, structural engineer WSP/Halvorson and Partners, Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects, and V3 Cos., an engineering firm, among others.