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
| Mar 12, 2012
Improving the performance of existing commercial buildings: the chemistry of sustainable construction
Retrofitting our existing commercial buildings is one of the key steps to overcoming the economic and environmental challenges we face.
| Mar 7, 2012
Firestone iPad app offers touch technology
Free app provides a preview of Firestone’s Roots to Rooftop Building Envelope Solution with an overview of all the products from ground and stormwater management solutions, to complete wall panel and commercial roofing system applications.
| Mar 6, 2012
Gensler and Skender complete new corporate headquarters for JMC Steel in Chicago
Construction was completed by Skender in just 12 weeks.
| Mar 1, 2012
Reconstruction Awards: Reinvesting in a neighborhood’s future
The reconstruction of a near-century-old derelict public works facility in Minneapolis earns LEED Platinum—and the hearts and minds of the neighboring community.
| Mar 1, 2012
Aragon Construction completes 67,000-sf build-out in NYC
Aragon constructed the space in partnership with Milo Kleinberg Design Associates, (MKDA) and the Craven Corp. as the owner’s representative.
| Feb 27, 2012
Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital building receives LEED Gold
Innovative and sustainable design reflects best environmental building practices.
| Feb 22, 2012
Siemens earns LEED certification for Maryland office
The Beltsville facility, which also earned the ENERGY STAR Label for energy performance, implemented a range of energy efficiency, water conservation and sustainable operations measures as part of the certification process.
| Feb 22, 2012
Suffolk awarded Boston post office renovation project
Renovation of art deco landmark will add 21,000 square feet of retail and 110 new parking spaces.
| Feb 17, 2012
Tremco Inc. headquarters achieves LEED Gold certification
Changes were so extensive that the certification is for new construction and not for renovation; officially, the building is LEED-NC.
| Feb 15, 2012
Code allowance offers retailers and commercial building owners increased energy savings and reduced construction costs
Specifying air curtains as energy-saving, cost-cutting alternatives to vestibules in 3,000-square-foot buildings and larger has been a recent trend among consulting engineers and architects.
