Typically, banks are not the most open, airy, and inviting of spaces. Like a shirt and tie that are just a bit too small, they can sometimes feel a bit stuffy and suffocating. Finances already cause enough stress and gloom in people’s everyday lives, so why do financial institutions all have a shared aesthetic with a mortuary?
SmithGroupJJR, The Christman Company, and Lake Trust Credit Union were asking that same question. And with the help of some employee collaboration workshops, the new $26 million dollar Lake Trust Credit Union headquarters, located in Brighton, Mich., is anything but stuffy.
The new headquarters building, which is home to 240 employees and is designed to accommodate up to 325 employees, offers a 100% open work environment, bucking the trend of the dark, stuffy designs many financial institutions opt to go with.
The 100,000-sf headquarters sits on a diverse 16-acre site that features wetlands, woodlands, and rolling topography. In an effort to connect to the surrounding outdoors, the headquarters has a two-story front porch, a second floor balcony equipped with an outdoor dining area, and a terrace overlooking the wetlands located on the north side of the building. In addition, the front entry has a living wall serving as the backdrop.
The interior of the building also has this “un-bank” theme carried throughout. The building’s three levels are connected with a grand stair and a large atrium that can double as an impromptu auditorium. Amenities include a full-service cafeteria and a dining space.
The new headquarters is targeting LEED certification with the use of sustainable design features such as large expanses of efficient, low-e glass for ample natural light and improved insulation, refurbished wood paneling from demolished Detroit buildings, and bioswales restored with native vegetation to help with storm water management.
The president and CEO of Lake Trust Credit Union, David Snodgrass, described the building as “very un-corporate like” and said it looks more like something you would find at a company like Facebook or Google, rather than a financial institution.
SmithGroupJJR provided the design services such as programming, architecture, interior design, and all of the engineering. The Christman Company provided a wide array of development, program management, and construction management services. Finally, Interior Environments helped to furnish the building.
Photo Courtesy of SmithGroupJJR
Photo Courtesy of SmithGroupJJR
Photo Courtesy of SmithGroupJJR
Photo Courtesy of SmithGroupJJR
Photo Courtesy of SmithGroupJJR
Photo Courtesy of SmithGroupJJR
Related Stories
| Apr 16, 2012
University of Michigan study seeks to create efficient building design
The result, the researchers say, could be technologies capable of cutting the carbon footprint created by the huge power demands buildings place on the nation’s electrical grid.
| Apr 16, 2012
Drake joins EYP as science and technology project executive
Drake’s more than 30 years of diversified design and project delivery experience spans a broad range of complex building types.
| Apr 13, 2012
Best Commercial Modular Buildings Recognized
Judges scored building entries on a number of criteria including architectural excellence, technical innovation, cost effectiveness, energy efficiency, and calendar days to complete, while marketing pieces were judged on strategy, implementation, and quantifiable results. Read More
| Apr 6, 2012
Flat tower green building concept the un-skycraper
A team of French designers unveil the “Flat Tower” design, a second place winner in the 2011 eVolo skyscraper competition.
| Apr 2, 2012
EB-5 investment funds new Miramar, Fla. business complex
Riviera Point Holdings breaks ground on $17 million office center.
| Mar 28, 2012
Milestone reached for LEED-certified buildings?
Total number of major global green buildings now stands at 12,000.
| Mar 27, 2012
Bank of America Plaza becomes Atlanta's priciest repo
Repo will help reset market prices for real estate, and the eventual new owner will likely set rental rates at a new or near the bottom and improve the facilities to lure tenants.
| Mar 26, 2012
McCarthy tops off Math and Science Building at San Diego Mesa College
Designed by Architects | Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker, the new San Diego Mesa College Math and Science Building will provide new educational space for students pursuing degree and certificate programs in biology, chemistry, physical sciences and mathematics.
| Mar 26, 2012
Ball State University completes nation's largest ground-source geothermal system
Ball State's geothermal system will replace four aging coal-fired boilers to provide renewable power that will heat and cool 47 university buildings, representing 5.5-million-sf on the 660-acre campus.
| Mar 21, 2012
10 common data center surprises
Technologies and best practices provide path for better preparation.
