HA-LO Headquarter

HA-LO Corporation commissioned a seven-storey office building in the environs of Chicago as its new headquarters. The reinforced concrete frame of the building which is glazed using floor-to-ceiling glass panels, covers an area measuring 64 by 56 m. It is higher than the surrounding buildings and stands out from its environs because of its transparency. The building was granted an exemption from local planning regulations owing to its unusual architectural design. At a height of ca. 28 m above ground the plan view of the almost square building is transformed into a parallelogram by the addition of two triangular structures. A cable-supported beam of more than 60 m length carries a welded grid of T-sections whose height is graduated according to their spans. The entire structure is roofed by a large-mesh grid.