The South Side Soapbox

Method Manufacturing Facility,
Chicago, Illinois

The first factory opening in the South Side of Chicago in nearly 30 years, Method Home: The South Side Soapbox sought to redefine the historic Pullman District community. Designed to be part of a future mixed-use development, Method envisioned employees living nearby, the building providing daylighting to maximize employees’ connection to nature and allowing visitors to look in through large windows and utilize the “front yard” as a park.

The front has colorful, welcoming awnings that serve as sun shades to help regulate heating and cooling needs. The 150,000 sf manufacturing facility was designed to epitomize Method’s commitment to the environment and community wellbeing, while still maintaining a competitive budget. The rooftop greenhouse, the largest in the world at 75,000 sf, provides fresh greens to the area, which was referred to as a “food desert.” The urban greenhouse was incorporated with the purpose of creating buildings modeled on natural processes through industrial agriculture.

The first LEED® Platinum manufacturing facility in its industry, The South Side Soapbox relies on a refurbished on-site wind turbine for 50% of its energy supplemented by solar trees that track the sun and provide hot water to office sinks and showers. These additions signal Method’s commitment to sustainability in ways that are both symbolic and substantive.