Location - Northbrook, IL
Architect - Valerio Dewalt Train Associates
Client - Lipson Alport Glass Associates
General Contractor - Sterling General Corp.
Consultants - V3 Consultants Inc. (civil); Robert Darvas Associates (structural); Charter Sills & Associates (lighting)
Photographer - © Barbara Karant, Karant + Associates

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A play on the nature of solid and void is central to this transformation of a simple brick building into a larger home for a packaging design firm. The existing U-shaped plan was closed by a 2-story rectangle. A brick volume housing a research center and conference rooms appears to balance atop a long glass box. The volumes are shifted, with the brick cantilevered 40 feet out to create a sheltered entryway. The entire glass container is tipped — as if by the weight of the brick — angling the floor of the lobby and creating a terraced design studio. “It’s got a lot of humor to it,” said a juror, “especially for a packaging company.”