This office tower located in the heart of Chicago’s “Loop” financial district explores urban spatial conditions which support new ways of living and working. In a departure from the typology of the typical hermetic urban office tower, its design is driven by urbanism rather than form: the base of the building is carved away at grade to create a four-story covered plaza that extends the adjacent park into the site and creates an urban public space which mediates between the enclosed building and the city. Slightly raised from the sidewalk and shaded with trees, this “urban room” provides an outdoor space for working and meeting, and constitutes a new urban condition, a space of interaction which feeds off the urban energy around it and gives something back to the city in return; inside, a suite of interconnected indoor and outdoor lounge spaces provide casual meeting and working spaces where people can choose where they feel comfortable and productive.