Open-plan office space with a wooden table, office chair, industrial decor, and plants.
Modern office space with brick walls, a large wooden table, metal shelves filled with books and decor, industrial ceiling ducts, a window with exterior greenery, and a mounted TV. There are wooden crates, a fire extinguisher, and a metal door.
Modern meeting room with large wooden table, white chairs, brick and blue walls, a person walking through glass doors, and a wall-mounted dartboard.
Indoor hallway with a green plant wall and a dog sitting on the floor.
Woman walking in front of large garage door with brick wall and greenery on top
Two people seated at a table on a wooden deck with string lights overhead. A person walks by carrying a box of greens. Plants line the walls.
Person climbing a ladder in a garden with green plants and a city backdrop.
Modern kitchen with white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and a subway tile backsplash. Open shelving holds glass jars and a plant. A window above provides natural light.
Laboratory room with metal shelves and a worktable, containing plastic-wrapped produce and a scale. A person is faintly visible through a transparent plastic curtain.
Commercial kitchen with stainless steel sink and cart
Rooftop garden with wildflowers and plants, adjacent to a brick building, under a clear blue sky, with cityscape and train tracks in the background.
Urban rooftop garden with wildflowers, tall city buildings in the background, blue sky with scattered clouds.
Urban rooftop garden with string lights and seating area, overlooking a brick building under a blue sky.
Community garden with plants and a pathway, person in the background near a ladder, urban area visible.
A blue door with a silver handle set in a matching blue wall, with a light switch to the right.
Two gray doors labeled "M" and "W" signifying men's and women's restrooms.

1516 W CARROLL AVE ADAPTIVE REUSE

A renovation of an existing two-story brick office building and warehouse to accommodate the headquarters of The Roof Crop, Omni Ecosystems, and Runner Collective, as well as not-for-profits Pilot Light and Urban Habitat Chicago. The driving force of the project was the installation of the innovative Omni Meadow Mix over the warehouse to create an urban rooftop farm. The Roof Crop grows clean produce and offers same-day delivery with minimal environmental impact—a truly farm-to-table experience.   

The inherent logic of the building was exploited to provide a variety of growing settings from different soil depths, vertical growing surfaces, and indoor growing rooms. The aesthetic of the Kinzie Industrial Corridor informed the design decisions and allowed flexibility for each tenant to create their own environment. A shared open office and event space on the second floor has access to a rooftop deck and the break room, with downtown views to the east and the farm above. As the businesses have continued to expand and advance the produce processing rooms have been adapted to accommodate honey, floral arrangements, seed harvesting, botanical drying and soap making. 


INFO

Location:
West Loop, Chicago, IL

Project Status:
Complete

Project Size:
15,000sf

Team:
Mike Schwartz (Photographer)