Lobbies and common areas are fundamental to attracting and keeping tenants, employees, and customers. Working with the building owners, JDJ Architects carefully planned a renovation of the Columbia Centre complex in Rosemont that included cost-effective, creative reuse of materials to revitalize and update the building lobbies and common areas.

Columbia Centre had been purchased as a result of a foreclosure in 2011, and since then, the developers have invested almost $24 million in the complex, which had a 70 percent occupancy rate and was in need of an interior refresh. Since then, occupancy rates have risen to 93 percent, and the three-building complex has recently been sold.

The result: A positive first impression, an edge over competing buildings in the area and improved occupancy rates.