Nixon Peabody Expands Into 32,000 SF

CHICAGO-Nixon Peabody LLP has nearly doubled its space with its relocation to 32,000 square feet at 300 S. Riverside Plaza. The firm now occupies the 16th floor of the one-million-square-foot building, having moved from 17,000 square feet at 161 N. Clark St. which it had occupied since March 2007. Green practices have been a major focus of the firm in the relocation and build-out of its new office, which will vie for LEED certification.

“Many of our clients share our environmental commitment,” Stephen G. Rudisill, office managing partner of the Chicago office, says. “Sustainable business is not only cost-effective, but it has positive effects on our employees who have embraced this firm-wide initiative. We are looking forward to settling into the new space and being in downtown Chicago for years to come.”

The design of Nixon Peabody’s space incorporated recycled content for carpet, fabrics and ceiling tiles, zero volatile organic compound paints, rapidly renewable linoleum flooring, sustainable bamboo paneling, GreenGuard-certified furniture, and other energy-efficient features. The firm’s San Francisco location became the first law firm office to receive LEED certification in the category of “commercial interiors” in 2007. Additionally, Nixon Peabody’s office in Albany recently received LEED silver certification.

“Climate change is fundamentally changing the way companies do business,” Carolyn Kaplan, the firm’s chief sustainability officer, says. “We launched our firm-wide sustainability initiative when we opened our first LEED-certified office in 2007. It’s an initiative that is constantly evolving, and one that firm management and I are both professionally and personally committed to growing.”

Space is marketed for about $40 per square foot in the 23-story office tower, which is nearly 100% occupied. Nixon Peabody’s new office is located in the West Loop submarket, where overall occupancy is around 87%, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s Q1 report. Average asking lease rates in the submarket are around $39 per square foot gross, according to Cushman’s office market research.