Interior & Branding

Clariant Colorworks

The Clariant Colorworks Lab is a 5,800-square-foot interior renovation in West Chicago, Illinois, that turned unfinished office space into a colored plastics design center for Clariant. Corporate clients come to the lab as participants in the design process, developing a color for a concept product, then watch a prototype being manufactured in an adjacent production lab and see it analyzed in a controlled-lighting lab. The same rooms also have to work as a client showroom and meeting space, so the plan includes a welcome lounge, library, design area, consulting area and conference room alongside the technical spaces, plus restrooms and storage. The renovation was completed in September 2013, and it brings research, prototype manufacturing and client presentation into one space.

The Jenkins Group designed the interior as a clean palette for designers. The client's monotone color scheme made the space a design challenge, and the firm answered it with clean wall surfaces, large open ceilings, linear light fixtures, and skylights that bring in natural daylight, with subtle splashes of color that fit Clariant's branding. A viewing area lets clients watch their plastics being made. The floors are a urethane and epoxy mix that keeps a bright white finish and resists yellowing. The firm provided architecture and interior design for the project, including fixture, millwork and finish submittal reviews. The project received a Merit Award for Interior Architecture in the 2013 Association of Licensed Architects Design Awards.

A color lab stays neutral so the only color in the room is the one being judged.