Walden Chicago, an elevated event space in Chicago's West Town area, was the idea of four hospitality and event planning professionals. Using their 80+ years combined experience, they joined together to create a better overall event planning and hosting client experience that employs eco-friendly practices and minimizes waste. The team selected a century-old building with an industrial past to house this new facility.

A prominent feature of the main event space is the original dark wooden bow truss ceiling. The interior design team wanted to create a feeling of spaciousness and were looking for a  discreet solution that would illuminate and highlight the soaring ceiling. The design initially called for large, round suspended fixtures – these proved to be a distraction from the very ceiling they were designed to highlight and caused significant glare.

The designers then discovered the Metro System by Fabbian. The Metro System was designed explicitly for locations such as this- historical buildings with large expanses that require long-distance runs with minimal support. Metro's sleek, low-profile design perfectly fits the venue's overall design vision of mixing historical and modern elements. 

Fabbian coordinated the design team's needs with support from local representatives and Fabbian's technical team in Italy to produce lighting calculations and renderings showcasing Metro's performance in the space – ensuring it would serve the client's needs. The result was a system of 528 feet of Metro in a 2700K color temperature that enabled the designers to create an open yet intimate feeling space. 

The Metro system is easy to adapt to a variety of situations. The 16 or 32-foot field-cuttable stainless steel strips are offered in four different color temperatures, ensuring an option for residential, hospitality, retail, and corporate environments. Metro's standard components are shipped in neat, compact packaging, allowing quick lead times, low shipping costs, and reduced environmental impacts.

Fabbian USA offers a complete range of customizable solutions, including the Metro System.  Our design, engineering, and production teams are looking forward to collaborating with your team on your next project. Contact us to learn more. 

View the full gallery by clicking here!