Episode 23 - David Moore and The Willis Tower Redevelopment

David Moore, as Senior Vice President and Portfolio Director of Equity Office’s Chicago portfolio, comes on the podcast to discuss the company’s $500 million investment/redevelopment of famed The Willis Tower. As the second tallest building in the country, The Willis Tower is most recognizable building in Chicago and one of the most recognizable in the world. This episode is a fascinating consideration of the massive scale of a $500 Million redevelopment and investment into Chicago’s most quintessential and historic building. David discusses the “why” of redevelopment and the movement to amenitization of office buildings in Chicago. The company’s objective is to look at how to enhance the daily lives of the people in the building and create a better experience for those people. Equity Office is creating an amenity destination for its 15,000 daily inhabitants and visitors. The Willis Tower is delivering multiple floors of tenant only amenities, including a “Tower House” which is a West loop style creative space, and an “Altitude Lounge” grab and go location built in a high rise Gold Coast style, as well as a floor of tenant only fitness space with cardio, workout classes, spin, yoga, and much more. In addition, the base of the structure is being torn down and built out and expanded, to include 300,000 square feet of commercial space with a Wintergarden style space full of various food and drink offerings. This episode is a great explanation of why these massive investments in existing office product are taking place in Chicago and around the world.