The Telos Group, LLC announced the renovation of the first-level exterior plaza in front of Chicago’s Aon Center. The plaza is currently undergoing a $6.5 million, half-acre renovation that will completely reconfigure the entrance to the building off of Randolph Street. The current construction reflects a trend in investing in outdoor spaces during a period when many office workers are at home.
“We’re taking our tenant-orientation at Aon Center to the next level,” said Caroline Colnon, leasing director at Telos. “Aon Center has spent the past several years creating value for our tenants and the plaza reconstruction is an extension of this strategy. We’re building a stunning new outdoor space that will help bring Aon Center employees back to their offices.”
The new plaza redesign includes an entrance that leads directly from Randolph Street to the front door of Aon Center. The plaza will include soft seating, gardens and be open to the public as an extension of Millennium Park. Over the past few years, Aon Center’s improvements have included over $25 million in reconfiguring the building’s amenity package. The upgrades include the Cloud Level on the 70th floor which features a tenant lounge, an expansive fitness center, and conferencing facilities.
“Aon Center is already a destination, so we’re embracing that aspect of this building,” Colnon said. “The plaza will become a welcoming space that extends the greenery of Millennium Park right up to Aon’s front door. We expect this to be a gathering spot for people and for it to meet the needs of our current and future tenants.”
The plaza demolition began this month and full construction is expected to be completed in late summer of this year. BEAR Construction is serving as the general contractor on the project, designed by HGA Architects.
“Now is the right time for landlords like 601W to make major investments in their office buildings,” said Dennis Hill, senior vice president, BEAR Construction. “The logistics of demolition and construction are much easier with less foot traffic and less road traffic in and around the building. It makes the work faster and simpler to complete.”
The plaza has on-going demolition work visible off of Randolph Street right now. The final plaza design will be open to the general public as well as to office tenants, providing needed greenspace in the Loop.
