CHICAGO – Chicago-based architecture and design firm Perimeter Architects helped Chicagoland’s first medical marijuana dispensary, Dispensary 33, save $50,000 a year by creating it clever wooden packaging.

Illinois law states that once a seal on a bottle of medical marijuana is broken, that marijuana must be sold within seven days or disposed of.

That conflicted with Dispensary 33’s sales strategy – putting marijuana and flowers together on display –, which required it to break the seal on its suppliers’ plastic marijuana bottles. This cost Dispensary 33 an estimated $50,000 per year.

ARTICLE Manufacturing homes of the future likely to be a CNC-friendly affair Virginia Tech Center for Design Research spent four years on the FutureHAUS project, exploring integration of technology with architecture, and its prospect for industrialized home production.

Premier Architects came up with a clever solution: a customized glass bulb with a laminated wooden base - featuring a pressure-locking mechanism that maintains a seal.

The packaging allows Dispensary 33 to show off their product their way while remaining within the confines of Illinois law.

The packaging picked up an AIA award last month.

Dispensary 33 came to Perimeter Architects after it designed Dispensary 33’s interior space. Perimeter Architects created a space that gradually revealed itself upon entry, with rift-cut white oak transaction counters, hand drawn marijuana illustrations, and custom fabric wall installations.

Perimeter Architects is an award-winning Chicago-based architecture and design practice interested in the exploration of urban environments. We define our practice of architecture as the pursuit of a refined-pragmatism. Simple, direct solutions are the goal. We approach every project with certainty; the betterment of our environment is fundamentally achievable through design. We do not come into any project with preconceived solutions and seek the potential of every challenge. We strongly believe in the craft of architecture.

Photos by Perimeter Architects