Chicago, Illinois, USA

McDonald’s Corp. has opened its new corporate headquarters in Chicago’s vibrant West Loop neighborhood by unveiling the state-of-the-art building.

The company had been headquartered from 1955 to 1971 when it moved to suburban Oak Brook.

Designed by Gensler, Interior Architects, O+A Studio, the new glittering and glass-wrapped new building set in the iconic West Loop neighborhood of Chicago is home to more than just the new headquarters as it houses a unique and one-of-a-kind collection of Happy Meal toys, vintage memorabilia and a tribute wall to the best innovators at the company.

Keeping in line with the neighborhoods’ appeal, the building’s façade will be built of brick and steel, and feature a 12-foot setback along Randolph Street to accommodate 40,000 square feet of ground level retail space. Unlike its neighbors, the building will host a two-story underground parking garage with 300 parking spaces.

A multidirectional staircase in the building’s central atrium provides a striking focal point and an avenue for casual interaction, but also symbolizes the M.C. Escher-esque sensation of moving forward in many directions at once.

Shared spaces up and down that atrium spell out the story. Every floor evokes a specific element of McDonald’s success—the kitchen, the flavors, the people and the communities.

And every floor celebrates innovation. While the featured design moments are deliberately abstract, all are grounded in meanings derived directly from McDonald’s long road trip.

And just as on a road trip our eyes are always forward, at the new McDonald’s headquarters the emphasis is on where this iconic company goes next, both geographically and culturally, in its decades-long mission of bringing “feel-good moments” to billions.”

The building is LEED certifiable with an energy-efficient design that reduces power consumption and a waste recycling program aimed at keep it as green and planet-friendly as possible.

The ultra-large building caters to the needs of over 200 employees along with holding enough space for the new Hamburger University while also hosting a conference space that is enough to hold nearly 700 people. With a global café on the sixth floor and a world-class fitness center on the ninth floor, the fabulous office is complete in every sense of the way.

Architects: Gensler
Interior Architects: IA Interior Architects and Studio O+A
Developer: Sterling Bay
Owner: McDonald’s Corp.
Photographer: Garrett Rowland