Visually connecting open spaces with a minimalist, suspended light system
Location: mHUB, Chicago, Illinois
Lighting System: PureEdge Lazer Line DIY Suspension System
Lighting Designer & Architect: Gensler
Electrical Engineer: Syska Hennessy Group
Sales Representatives: Chicago Lightworks
Photography: © Christopher Barrett, Design by Gensler
One of the nation's leading innovation and collaborative workspace centers focused on fostering product
development, entrepreneurship, and manufacturing innovation, mHUB set its sights on a decommissioned
1920s manufacturing plant in the Fulton Market district of Chicago. After transforming the long-vacant
space, mHUB now serves as a hub for startups, inventors, and businesses striving to develop, accelerate,
and thrive.
Gensler was tasked with designing and revitalizing the new center for mHUB to create a collaborative
environment centered around manufacturing, with an emphasis on efficiency and creativity. The design
team skillfully blended historic elements with modern tools and technology to support product innovation
and empower collaboration among mHUB members.
According to Gensler, several workshop sessions were conducted with mHUB members and staff to ensure
the design plan aligned with their needs to work efficiently and creatively. As a result, the overall design
focused on five aspects of the manufacturing process: ideate, iterate, showcase, assemble, and celebrate.
"mHUB members collaborated with Gensler on
the branding, fabrication, and coordination of the
Spark spaces, the reception desk, the Members' Wall,
and the bar in the event space. Not only did this engage
mHUB members in the design process, but it also
provided money-saving, high-impact design solutions."
GENSLER
Source:Office Snapshots
Gensler noted that a new vestibule at the back of the building leads visitors into mHUB's active first
floor where all the shops, labs, and training rooms are located. These common areas feature
PureEdge
Lighting's Lazer Line Lighting System in multiple lengths from 11 to 20 ft throughout the exposed ceilings
of the Press Room, Workshop and as guests enter the Reception area.
The multi-level office space includes workstations and offices for ideation; shops and labs for prototyping
and iteration; and a flexible assembly space, visible from the reception area, for the final stages of the
process, with integrated conference rooms. A display wall beautifully showcases finished products and a
5,000-square-foot event space hosts ongoing programming and celebrations.
Gensler's design situates all collaboration spaces in the middle of the floor to facilitate meetings and
teamwork. The design team recognized that manufacturing is a dynamic process, so they created a design
that avoided defining spaces with unnecessary walls, allowing mHUB future flexibility to grow and evolve as
its members actively shape the next wave of Chicago manufacturing.
The hyper-resourced environment features a modern, yet minimalist aesthetic amidst an industrial
manufacturing open ceiling environment. To illuminate these spaces, the design team utilized
PureEdge's
Lazer Line DIY Suspension System in 3500K to deliver a fluid line of light that floats just below the
unfinished ceiling with multiple points of connection.
PureEdge's Lazer Line DIY Suspension System
is tensioned from wall to wall with turnbuckles
and anchors that allow Lazer Line to be positioned
0-90° relative to the mounting surface, creating
a 3-dimensional look that is as functional as it is
visually interesting.
Lazer Line Suspension DIY
Project Details
- 11' - 22' luminaire lengths
- Universal Dimming
- Low Voltage, Class 2, 24VDC
Remote Power Supplies
- 5W/ft Direct | 3W/ft Indirect
- 3500K
- Single, Double, and Triple
Turnbuckles in Black finish
PureEdge's Lazer Line DIY Suspension System is tensioned between walls
or ceilings using turnbuckles, allowing it to be positioned at any angle from 0° to
90° relative to the mounting surface. This innovative design creates a striking
3-dimensional effect that seamlessly combines functionality with visual appeal.
Lazer Line DIY Suspension offers multiple turnbuckle options, with canopies that
mount to a standard 4-inch square junction box. Choose between a 4-inch round
canopy or a slim 2-inch round canopy, which is supplied with a plaster ring for
easy installation and a seamless aesthetic.
Single, double, and triple turnbuckle configurations provide ultimate customization for virtually any
environment. For compact shipping, Lazer Line coils like a retractable tape measure. Once uncoiled, the
0.6-inch wide stainless steel tape easily spans surfaces. Both the tape and Lazer strip are field-cuttable for
precise customization. For extended runs, power can be fed from both ends.
Interested in the possibilities of
PureEdge Lighting's Lazer Line DIY Suspension System or your next
project? Designing with PureEdge is simple—just share your sketches or ideas with us, and we’ll provide you
with a customized layout and detailed bill of materials.