Less salmon, more glass in Google’s Thompson Center redo
Aficionados of the towering, light-filled atrium inside downtown Chicago’s Thompson Center can rest easy, Google leaders said Wednesday as they offered a peek at a major redo.
When reconstruction of the former state government hive starts in 2024, the beloved 17-story atrium is sacrosanct.
“It was important to us that we honor the postmodern legacy of the building” that was designed by legendary architect Helmut Jahn, Google officials said. The company bought the Thompson Center from the state for $105 million in 2022.
Significant renovations, shown in drawings, include peeling off the salmon-colored steel panels that deck the lower level. The exterior of the structure will be replaced with new triple-pane glass to meet Google’s goal of a green, all-electric building.
This “will improve both the thermal performance of the building and the comfort of those inside by requiring less energy to heat and cool. Additionally, it will modernize the way the building looks, and maximize natural daylight and views,” Google executive Karen Sauder explained in a blog post.
The technology giant has pledged to run all its facilities on clean energy by 2030. The James R. Thompson Center was completed in 1985, so the makeover “isn’t easy,” Sauder noted.
Pedestrians walking around the building at Randolph and Clark streets will see additional landscaping along with more food, beverage and retail options in the future.
Construction fencing goes up next year and Google expects to occupy their new digs in 2026.
Back in 2000, Google’s Chicago office had just two employees. In July 2022, when the company announced its purchase, Google workers at the Fulton Market site numbered over 1,800.
The relocation will “support engineering work in Chicago and helps advance the growth of Google’s partners and customers across the Midwest. It also helps us meet the future needs of our flexible hybrid workforce,” officials said in 2022.
Moving to the city’s core also allows Google to become part of the Loop’s revitalization, they noted.