Designing a Financial Institution's Headquarters
As Honor Credit Union rapidly expanded branch locations around Southwest Michigan, it quickly realized that it was time for their corporate headquarters to follow suit. After reviewing their branch operations, exhaustive brand studies, and growth projections, the client and design team discovered that the company was going to need much more space than anyone anticipated to propel their rapidly growing business operations into the future. Through clever use of wayfinding and space planning, four disparate corporate offices were brought together in a way which enhanced and reinforced the company's existing work culture. By consolidating these groups into one location, the team was able to find greater cohesion and change the way they operate in order to keep up with their growing business.
This building was designed from the ground-up to embrace transparency and views, with a deep connection to site and place. The main volume of the building floats over the rolling Southwest Michigan prairie and meets the ground with a light touch. Maximum transparency happens at the ground floor as the landscape flows through, offering its inhabitants direct connection to the natural environment around the building. The rest of the building is largely rendered in white to allow the landscape beyond to be the focus, while the regular rhythm of the oversized windows provide nearly every workstation with their own private landscape. The abundance of natural light in this project has become an indispensable asset for the company and their operations.
The office design has changed the way we work. It allows us to move around more, people can choose to work by the windows to get sunshine. It makes it easier for us to collaborate or be more flexible.”
We designed 2 primary panels: the typical and a corner, to skin the majority of this building. This panel design allowed the precast panels to be very fast and efficient and the glazing to follow suite.
Using a single repeating window unit allows for efficiency in both cost and construction while also maximizing access to natural light.
The interior of Honor HQ was imagined as a series of communities for the various operational groups of the company. Each is given a full range of seating and working options, offering a spectrum of connectivity or privacy to suit the varied working styles of each individual. Custom vinyl graphics and color coded carpeting throughout the space give each community a unique identity. The soaring open atrium at the center acts as a hub for all activity in the building, encouraging social interaction and improving the wellbeing of its inhabitants.
What we absolutely loved about this building is its extreme economy of means, its honesty, and its simplicity.”
Because the needs of the client were so large, the building achieves enormous impact with very economical means. The exterior is made of precast concrete panels with integral brick veneer, making for a quick and easy installation. Because of its modular nature, the majority of the facade can be assembled with only two primary panels. The playful window arrangement also required less glazing than a traditional ribbon window, and therefore less cost, with greater visual impact.
Actively engaging in the design process not only gave the client a functional new headquarters, they were able to improve the working lives of their employees through architecture. By taking a forward looking approach, Honor Credit Union and Collective Office were able to achieve a striking corporate headquarters building ready to meet the company’s needs for years to come as their business continues to grow.
