a rooftop meadow of purple wildflowers in chicago

February 19, 2024

Picnic in This Meadow Atop Chicago’s Old Post Office

2023 Best of Year Winner for Commercial Landscape

Thanks to an adaptive reuse initiative, Chicago’s Old Post Office, a monumental art deco structure that was once the center of the city’s postal system now has the capacity to house 16,000 office workers, thanks to a massive renovation by Gensler. A key offering the now mixed-use property lacked pre-renovation was outdoor space, so developer 601W decided to take advantage of the sprawling 3 ½-acre rooftop, calling on Hoerr Schaudt to create an alfresco amenity. Footpaths meander around major structural beams where the roof is strongest; everywhere else, perennials and grasses are planted in a custom ultra-lightweight soil mix. The garden—one of the nation’s largest private green roofs—brings a vibrant natural beauty to the building and helps it meet sustainability goals to boot.

See Interior Design’s Best of Year Winners and Honorees

Explore must-see projects and innovative products that took home high honors.

2025 WINNERS

the chicago skyline from the roof of the old post office

Projects
For a Hotel in Colombia, Local Coffee Farms Supply a Key Material
Take a closer look at the 2023 Interior Design Best of Year Awards winner, La Puerta de Puente Iglesias for On the Boards: Commercial by F05 Studio.
Projects
Caltech’s New Lab Sets The Standard For Creative Sustainability
Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign blends education and climate innovation for Caltech’s Resnick Sustainability Institute’s mass-timber lab center.
Projects
How Color Psychology Informs BlackRock’s New Manhattan HQ
Wood-paneling and color psychology encourage employee comfort and interaction in the Hudson Yards headquarters designed by NBBJ.