Paul Berger And Associates: Chicago Architecture and Interior Design : BNSF Residence

Schaumburg - Paul Berger and Associate (PBA) assisted BNSF Pacific Railroad in the reorganization, consolidation and relocation of their corporate headquarters that they had occupied for more than eighty years. The project duration from conception to move-in was six months and was divided into two phases.

Phase One addressed the incorporation of the railroad's most important facility into the overall aesthetics of the new design. The System Operations Center, a technologically sophisticated communications area that monitors train location(s) and status via electronic signals and projects information on a 50-foot radial projection screen. A five story decorative stair was built around the center, detailing the steel stair and millwork were elements that suggested railroad tracks.

Phase Two of the project involved centralization of all train dispatching functions and features through a new Digital Concepts Traffic Management System. PBA designed custom millwork dispatch workstations for this 24-hour operation; this enhanced SFP's operations with improved technology, increased capacity and customer-driven service.

Forth Worth - The recent merger between the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Pacific railroads involved programming, re-design, remodeling and construction of new and existing facilities in Schaumburg, Illinois and Forth Worth, Texas; the Fort Worth location is home of the second largest railroad in the nation.

The project included programming for 400,000 square feet of existing facilities and determining the most efficient, cost-effective way to relocate and reorganize the company. BNSF president Robert Krebs was determined to house all operating groups under one roof and create efficiencies. Krebs also wanted to create a beautiful work environment for the railroad while still being conservative and cost conscience.

The new facility houses a state of the art Network Operations Center that resembles a space shuttle command center and a museum of railroad history that includes artifacts from early railroad days, priceless artwork and original land grants signed by Abraham Lincoln.