Cisco Offices – Chicago

Gensler's design for Cisco's Chicago office brings four business units together within The Old Post Office, balancing shared facilities with distinct workplace neighborhoods that express each team's brand and culture. A common lobby, reception, Customer Experience Center, food service area, and grand community lounge establish a collective setting, while individual work areas retain recognizable identities. The project adapts the industrial character of the former postal building into a flexible, non-hierarchical office. Existing brickwork, steel panels, mail chutes, and conveyor belts are preserved and incorporated into the interior. Refurbished mail chutes are surrounded by seating, turning former operational infrastructure into meeting points and orientation landmarks. At the center of the plan, a collaborative mezzanine recalls the catwalks once used to observe postal operations. A substantial wood feature wall behind reception draws inspiration from the roads and railways passing beneath the building. Concrete, steel, metal mesh, and timber form the principal material palette, complemented by Art Deco-inspired furniture and lighting that refer to the building's original period. Local artists contributed murals that identify workplace neighborhoods and animate the community lounge. Floor graphics assist navigation across the large floor plate, while an acoustic-panel installation connects the building's architectural heritage with Cisco Meraki's San Francisco office. Workstations and enclosed rooms are arranged to form smaller neighborhoods without sacrificing access to daylight and views through the building's tall windows. A broad central route accommodates varied open collaboration settings, and brightly colored meeting rooms reinforce local identities within the larger office. The community lounge combines art, planting, daylight, and refreshments as a shared destination. Employee-focused facilities include activity spaces, video games, a photo booth, and a staff photo wall. Wellness rooms provide space for rest or prayer, while individual showers support cycling and exercise. Four micro-kitchens offer different food and beverage choices, encouraging movement and informal encounters across the floor. Designed while pursuing LEED certification, the office combines heritage reuse, workplace choice, and everyday amenities in a contemporary setting that supports both individual work and interaction between Cisco's teams.