Ace Hardware Corporation office renovation

Ace Hardware, the largest convenience hardware retailer and distributor in the world, has made its home in Oak Brook, Illinois for 50 of its 100 years in business. Seeking an updated corporate environment with flexibility, amenities and space to support continued growth, the company was able to remain in Oak Brook. For the first time, Ace's more than 1,100 Oak Brook-based employees now share a single building, creating an even closer sense of community and collaboration.

Working with CBRE Design Collective and Skender Construction, Ace transformed the former McDonald’s 80-acre campus into a vibrant, modern, bright and productive workplace. Originally constructed in 1988, the Class A office building’s Brutalist-style was designed by Dirk Lohan, the grandson of renowned modern architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In 2009, the U.S. Green Building Council certified the existing building at the highest level – LEED® O+M Platinum. After McDonald’s left in 2019, the building had been vacant until Ace Hardware’s move in October 2023.¹

To achieve the four-story, 250,000-square-foot office renovation’s modern aesthetics, performance requirements and LEED sustainability goals, CBRE Design Collective specified Rockfon Artic® acoustic stone wool ceiling panels. Reinke Supply Companies supplied 180,000 square feet of Rockfon’s smooth, white, 2-by-2-foot ceiling tiles to Anning-Johnson Company, which were installed in Rockfon Chicago Metallic® 4600 Ultraline™ 9/16-inch suspension system throughout the entire building.

Installation of Rockfon’s ceiling systems was coordinated with Skender Construction to leverage flexible phasing and work sequencing to streamline the six-month construction schedule, allowing for an on-time and on-budget project delivery.³

One of the area’s largest suburban build-out projects in the last five years, the renovated interiors reflect Ace Hardware’s iconic brand and culture, while supporting their employees’ health and well-being. The open office floorplan includes 150 conference rooms, 12 cafes/pantries and numerous collaboration spaces.⁴

With CBRE Design Collective’s intentional approach to Ace Hardware’s headquarters renovated interiors, Rockfon Artic® acoustic stone wool ceiling panels creates a professional, contemporary and uniform appearance throughout a large office space. Enhancing the ceiling’s design, these panels have a square tegular narrow edge and are installed in Rockfon Chicago Metallic® 4600 Ultraline™ 9/16-inch narrow-face, bolt slot, metal suspension system with an 1/8-inch reveal to minimize the visible grid. Clean, mitered intersections enhance the clean look and continuous line.

The stone wool material of Rockfon Artic’s Class A fire-rated ceiling panels is naturally non-combustible and hydrophobic. This means that it resists melting, burning or creating significant smoke; it does not absorb water; and it resists sagging even in 100 percent humidity. Stone wool also does not support the growth of mold, mildew or other microorganisms.

Demonstrating the benefits of its inherent material properties, Rockfon Artic® stone wool ceiling panels are UL® GREENGUARD® Gold Certified for Office and Educational Environments. Contributing to healthy indoor air quality, low-VOC products with this certification are recognized by LEED and other green building and occupant well-being programs. Further supporting design choice and material transparency, Rockfon Artic product documentation includes a UL Certified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), a Health Product Declaration (HPD) and a Declare Label.

Many of the original building’s architectural elements were reused and repurposed for Ace Hardware, including a large center atrium and skylights. Daylight and biophilic views also are prioritized with floor-to-ceiling windows and access to outdoor terraces, patios, more than 2.5 miles of walking paths and two ponds. Many of the enclosed conference and collaboration rooms have interior-facing glass walls to take advantage of the available natural light and to maintain connection and transparency.⁶

Maximizing efficiency of both natural and electrical lighting, Rockfon Artic’s smooth white surface has a high light reflectance. It reflects 85 percent of light as diffused illumination, which can help reduce eye strain. Rockfon Artic has standard sound absorption with a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.75. 

^Sources

^{¹ 5/10/22, Ace Hardware, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ace-growth-fuels-expansion-to-new-corporate-campus-301543174.html; 3/1/23, Skender Construction, https://www.skender.com/news-media-item/skender-starts-construction-of-ace-hardwares-new-headquarters-in-oak-brook-illinois/; accessed 2/17/24, USGBC, https://www.usgbc.org/projects/mcdonalds-corporation-cob-world-hq}

^{² 7/6/23, Skender Construction video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhAjnumBWyk}

^{³ accessed 2/17/24, Skender Construction, https://www.skender.com/project/ace-hardware/}

^{⁴ 10/11/23, Skender Construction, https://www.skender.com/news-media-item/skender-wraps-up-construction-of-ace-hardwares-new-hq-in-oak-brook-illinois/}

^{⁵ 5/10/22, Ace Hardware, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ace-growth-fuels-expansion-to-new-corporate-campus-301543174.html}

^{⁶ accessed 2/17/24, Skender Construction, https://www.skender.com/project/ace-hardware/; 5/10/22, Ace Hardware, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ace-growth-fuels-expansion-to-new-corporate-campus-301543174.html}

^{⁷ 10/11/23, Skender Construction video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9qnTOAYK5I}