When visitors to Cortland Capital Market Services walk into the ninth-floor lobby of 225 West Washington St., they are greeted with a minimalist color palette, futuristic halo lights and a grand staircase connecting the two-story office. Down the hallways, wayfinding lights create a bright atmosphere. The white-walled, modern office was part of Cortland’s vision of a clean and open workplace.
To accomplish that goal for its 40K SF office, the company turned to architect Hydzik Schade and general contractor BEAR Construction.
Cortland was founded in 2008 and is a leading independent investment servicing company providing fund administration, commercial bank loan servicing and securitization services to financial institutions. Clients include proprietary trading and alternative investment managers, banks and commercial lenders. The financial services company has offices around the world, from Los Angeles to Nanjing, China.
As the financial sector continues to shift toward cloud-based services, and as technology allows for faster deals, demand for data transparency, security and accuracy has risen. Pension funds, endowments and other institutional investors have poured more money into private equity and other alternatives to stocks and bonds, increasing the need to monitor and analyze those investments. Cortland’s services have grown in demand and the company now employs almost 400 employees, with its staff located mainly in Chicago and suburban Indianapolis.
When the company relocated to 225 West Washington St., it decided to create a space that reflected its mission to meet its clients’ needs for speed, accuracy and peace of mind.
Rather than opt for an open office floor plan, Cortland instead chose a blend of open and private spaces, fostering collaboration and concentration. Different departments are connected by the central stairwell, and desk benching leads to all-glass conference rooms, a physical interpretation of the transparency Cortland promotes through its data services. The break room provides a gathering space for employees, and high-quality flooring from Ardex unites the space. Video walls create additional signage opportunities within the space, reinforcing Cortland’s brand identity throughout the space.
Throughout the build-out process, Cortland relied on BEAR Construction’s expertise. Project Manager Jack Kammerer, Assistant Project Manager Brenden Colon and Superintendent Matt Oclon managed the project, ensuring a timely and accurate execution of Hydzik Schade’s vision for the office.
It is an office that positions Cortland as a financial services company that can tackle the challenges of 21st-century business.
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