Brighton-based Lake Trust Credit Union has completed its new $26 million headquarters, featuring open work space, a full-service cafeteria, and a porch offering indoor/outdoor seating.
“The high performance space we’ve created is very un-corporate like,” says David Snodgrass, president and CEO of Lake Trust Credit Union. “It’s a place that you would probably assume could be for a company like Google or Facebook.”
Snodgrass says the 100,000-square-foot building is three stories and sits on a 16-acre site with surrounding wetlands and woodlands. He says the facility is home to 240 employees, which were previously spread between separate offices in Lansing, Plymouth Township, and Brighton. The building is designed to accommodate growth to a staff of 325.
The Christman Co. in Lansing offered development and construction management services, while Detroit-based SmithGroupJJR, an architecture and engineering firm, offered services including architecture, interior design, and landscape design.
Bob Varga, lead designer at SmithGroupJJR, says the building features a two-story front porch, a second floor balcony providing outdoor dining, and a terrace overlooking the wetlands. He says there’s a half-mile walking trail on the property, along with a large, living wall that serves as the backdrop to the front entry porch.
He says the interior also offers an environment not typically seen in banks, with a grand stairway in the atrium, a coffee bar, and three, large multi-purpose rooms.
Snodgrass says the credit union will save $7 million in operating costs over 20 years with the consolidation into the headquarters building.
