White Castle’s New Corporate HQ

Enabling the modern workplace.

After 85 years operating out of their previous headquarters, White Castle now calls their newly constructed (and highly innovative) 105,000 sq ft. facility home. The buildings interior was designed by M+A Architects, while Architecture Alliance designed its outside, and Elford Development handled construction of the building and is building the associated mixed-use development, which includes a 66,000-square-foot second office building, an amphitheater and 254 apartments.

The facility is filled with traditional AV communication / collaboration systems located throughout the conference spaces, but also has a number of very unique technology-forward activations. Bluewater was brought in to facilitate enabling the workplace, and to bring these experiences to life. Some highlights include a projection mapped throne with built in photo activation, the original founders desk with a phone that will play audio recordings when picked up and digital photos on the wall, branded digital signage in the lobby, and an interactive history wall.

Founders Desk

This is the desk that started it all! What better way to showcase close to 100 years of legacy than to put that history on display. All with a modern twist of course! On the desk there is an old rotary phone. This phone doesn’t place calls however. When picked up original messages from the founder can be heard through the headset. On the wall next to the desk are a series of BrightSign enabled photos frames that rotate through a collection of photos from the White Castle archive.

The Throne Photo Experience

Understanding that the office itself is a powerful ally in elevating the brand, White Castle opted to create a few experiences that would make people smile. The projection mapped throne is one of those experiences. Located in the front of the office, this custom built throne is surrounded by moving brand visuals. A tablet provides control for a built in photo activation, that captures a shot of the throne, kicking it back for sharing with additional White Castle branding.

Storywall

An interactive multi-screen Storywall is also installed within the environment. This version of Storywall has three modes guests can toggle between. A History mode that allows guests the chance to explore the company’s rich brand history, a Craver Hall of Fame mode that allows for the celebration of White Castle’s most loyal fans, and a White Castle Shares mode that explains the company’s many community and charitable giving efforts.

This build-out is a phenomenal example of how technology can be applied in creative ways to help elevate brand culture and positively transform workplace communication and collaboration.