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Entwurf • Design SOM LLP, US-Chicago
Bauherr • Client Optimo Hats, US-Chicago
Standort • Location 1700 W. 95th Street, US-Chicago
Nutzfläche • Floor space 750 m 2
Fotos • Photos Tom Rossiter, US-Chicago
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More infos on page 160
OPTIMO SHOWROOM
IN CHICAGO
Frank Lloyd Wright demonstrated it: A man of stature
„This is a great story for the city.“
wears a hat, currently more so than ever before. This opi-
nion is also shared by Optimo – a company which has
Brian Lee, Design Partner at SOM
been making luxury hats for design-conscious gentlemen
for over a quarter of a century. As a production facility,
company headquarters and showroom of this hat factory,
a former fire station in Chicago now also has class.
W hen, in the past, the fire bells were ringing right here in this
place, those present put on a safety helmet. Now the former fire
station is home to somewhat more refined headgear. Yet the importance
of municipal fire fighting as well as the atmosphere of the existing build-
ing, which is more than a hundred years old, can still be felt everywhere
– impressive and authentic. It was precisely this noticeable authenticity
that the Optimo company wanted to exploit which has established itself
in the sector of hand-made luxury hats as a leading manufacturer with
an international clientele. Due to the growing demand of high-quality
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan products, the hat factory in Chicago currently needed additional space.
The individual manufacture and the craftsmanship were, however, to
1 Produktion • Production Floor 1 Atelier • Design Studio continue to be in the focus and the manufacturing process definitely not
2 Oberflächenveredelung • Surface Finishing Room 2 Büro • Office to develop into mass production – after all, a hat is to represent the
3 Näherei • Sewing Room 3 Garderobe • Coat Room
4 Toiletten • Toilet Room 4 Toiletten • Toilet Room wearer’s personality and individuality. As a consequence, a modern
5 Kellereingang • Basement Entrance 5 Privatbüro • Office Retreat workshop with an industrial character has now definitely been created
6 Lager • Storage 6 Küche • Kitchen
7 Badezimmer • Bathroom in the factory designed by SOM. With skilful interventions, the architects
8 Lager • Storage succeeded in stopping the decay of the two-storey building and making
it shine again. On the ground floor, materials such as blackened steel,
walnut and cork dominate while modern and antique as well as
restored brick walls and custom-made furniture stand side by side.
Some of the tools are antiques which Optimo founder Graham
Thompson has collected for many years and all over the world. They
emphasize the play of the traditional trade with timeless headgear. The
upper floor serves as the design studio, office and reception area for cus-
tomers. In the spacious studio, a walnut table measuring more than five
metres extends below a luminaire which was hand-made of steel. A ceil-
ing-high shelf unit displays historic tools of hatmaking, shows creations
by the legendary hatmaker Johnny Tyus and thus inspires the creative
design processes for future collections. Where firemen’s poles used to
serve for spatially connecting the floors, integrated porthole-shaped
windows allow visual links between the levels. Within the historic build-
Grundriss Obergeschoss • Upper floor plan ing, they literally provide insights into the exclusive craft.
AIT 9.2018 • 111
