Bank Takes Environmental Step Into Rural Town—The New York Times

Mettawa, Ill.- HSBC, the giant London-based bank, has moved its North American headquarters to a sprawling facility that it bills as carbon neutral in this hamlet about 30 miles north of Chicago.

The 560,000 square-foot building, a five-story, H-shaped structure, was developed for more than $100 million on 29 acres with easy access to Interstate 94, between Chicago and Milwaukee.

HSBC North America Holdings, one of the 10 largest financial services companies in the United States, selected Mettawa from a list of 50 possible sites in the Chicago area, said Mike Brown, senior vice president for corporate real estate. "We had overgrown our former headquarters in Prospect Heights," 11 miles to the south, "which we occupied since 1979," he said.

The new headquarters will enable HSBC North America to bring 3,000 employees under one roof in a relocation that is expected to be completed this month. They had been scattered among six sites in the Chicago area.

The interior of the new building has many striking features. The amenities include a health club; a nondenominational prayer room; and nearly 80 meeting rooms, each with a spectacular photograph creating a geographic theme, and all eqipped for teleconferences with offices around the world. Emergency medical care, dry cleaning and banking services are also offered.

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