A flagship retail location should be the culmination of a brand's identity made physical in its largest and most complete package. A total embodiment of the brand’s ideals and aspirations. This is certainly the case for the St. Joseph, Michigan location for Honor Credit union, a flagship retail banking location for this growing regional credit union.
The building’s clear and simple architectural gestures and modernist detailing speak to the credit union’s ideals as a brand. They are symbolic of Honor’s departure from the stale, traditional world of legacy banking. The building is designed to reflect the company’s approachable and forward thinking philosophy on banking.
The floor plan is centered around the customer lounge, a space which embodies the brand’s “customer owned” ethos and intended to be a gathering space available to the community. A stripped-back approach to the traditional teller line reduces the separation between staff and customer in order to make the banking experience more casual and personal than at traditional institutions. This is all in an effort by the organization to change how the interaction between bank and customer occurs, The architecture of the building is designed to respond and reinforce that desire.
The division between customer and staff is further dissolved with the implementation of curved glass meeting pods throughout the front-of-house area. They serve as a space for connection, where customers can privately discuss their needs with the bankers. Visual transparency is a theme throughout the design and reflects the transparency and accessibility of the organization to its customers.
The modernist design approach and refined execution of the building lends a sophisticated feeling to the space but, playful design elements make the design feel approachable. The curved corners of the glass soften the hard modern edges. Wood tones throughout speak to the brand’s down-to-earth mentality and convey an un-pretentious attitude. Additionally, the colorful patterned vinyl graphics on the glass bring a lightness to the design while providing a layer of privacy to the offices. Throughout the project color is used as a wayfinding device to orient a person in space and can be found in both the graphics on the glass and in the carpeting.
The flagship model, as realized at St. Joe, is the top-of-the-line for a suite of building typologies designed by Collective Office and implemented throughout Southwest Michigan. It represents the most complete embodiment of the Honor Credit Union’s principals and will be sure to be a beacon in it’s community for years to come.
