Method South Side Soapbox

PROJECT DATA

Industrial precincts traditionally conjure images of smokestacks—gritty, hardened buildings spewing effluents and breeding squalor in their wake. The Method Manufacturing Facility in the historic industrial town of Pullman, Chicago represents an effort to break this stereotype and construct a new, clean industrial model.

“With Method’s factory, we wanted to become native to an urban community and create an example of what manufacturing can look like in the 21st century,” said Adam Lowry, owner of the Method Manufacturing Facility.

Method’s production facility, constructed in partnership with William McDonough + Partners, represents the realisation of a dream, as Lowry puts it, that was based on a foundation of values instead of metrics. 

A large hoarding proclaiming the Method motto “made by and for people against dirty” welcomes visitors into the South Side Soapbox—a witty play on the sustainable soap manufacturer’s efforts at staying ‘clean’. The state-of-the-art manufacturing home was honoured with a LEED Platinum Certification in 2015 in recognition of its meticulous efforts at achieving comprehensive environmental sustainability.