USM, Inc a leading service provider for facilities maintenance worked with FCA to create their headquarters within a former Sears department store. As a market leader, USM wanted an efficient, modern space that wasn’t extravagant and engaged their employees. It was important to consolidate several departments, under one roof. The design team worked with USM to move away from a hierarchical layout of enclosed private offices to a more open configuration with meeting rooms at the core of the floors. This design enhances visibility of various teams and facilitates brainstorming across different departments. The design team broke up the large floor space with wooden frames to create informal team areas. Enclosed rooms have glass walls to let in natural light and promote openness and transparency. A large ‘town center’ functions as a dining area and social space for informal interactions occur between different teams.

USM is committed to sustainability and providing a healthy environment for it’s employees. Examples of this are demonstrated in the adaptive reuse of the old department store, creating new skylights so that natural light penetrates over 75% of the space and the use of daylight harvesting to optimize the energy performance of the lighting. The project achieved LEED-CI Silver certification.