HILLSHIRE BRANDS - 400 SOUTH JEFFERSON | COMPANY HEADQUARTERS

LOCATION: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

270,000 sf

This 270,000 sf building, after extensive renovation, now serves as headquarters for Hillshire Brands Company (formerly Sara Lee). The building is situated at 400 S. Jefferson Street, a highly visible site at the intersection of the Kennedy and Congress Parkway. The Core and Shell renovation included total exterior replacement of the façade with new windows and precast panels. The original brick remains at the main entrance and tower, which are the most prominent elements of the building. The new design maintains the sleek character of the original building while opening the perimeter to natural light and views to the Chicago skyline.

The contract stipulated that Hillshire Brands had to occupy the building in 12 months. This required going from conceptual design through full Construction Documents in just 10 weeks. This hyper-track schedule called for a delivery method well outside the conventional design/bid/build scenario to meet the rapid pace of required milestones.

The design collaborated with Leopardo Construction to form a team of professionals to rapidly move the project from design into construction using the Integrated Project Delivery method. This process afforded real time pricing data as building details were drawn with the design team working directly with estimators, sub-consultants and trade contractors who were at the table during the entire design process. Revit 3-D modeling software for the design drawings which then became the basis for shop drawings in the field.