Kemba Credit Union Headquarters

Project Narrative

Kemba Credit Union’s eight story, 150,000 square foot Operation Center is a legacy building for the organization, planned to serve the organization's needs beyond the foreseeable future. To determine not only the current needs, but the aspirations for the company, we performed intensive research, engaging personnel in all levels and departments to determine workflows, habits, spatial dependencies, and up-and-coming technology that could inform the final designs. We met with each of the organization’s 15 departments to develop and refine a building program that fulfilled internal department operations, encouraged inter-departmental collaboration, and provided for growth and flexibility over the next five years. By employing a truly collaborative and inclusive design process, the design team was able to create a new home that meets the needs and reflects the values of Kemba Credit Union, giving them space to continue to grow and serve their community for years to come.

Key design features include:
o Open office perimeter at all floors, enclosed offices at core. This arrangement provides greatest access to daylight to all staff, but also maximizes flexibility and growth of departments
o Open stair and elevator lobby is in the center of the plan and open along the center axis of the building. This encourages use of the stairs for short trips in lieu of waiting on the elevator. The high degree of openness is accomplished using a tightly coordinated pressurization system consisting of alarms, fans, shutters, and dampers. The pressurization system eliminated the need for enclosed elevator and stair lobbies.
o The training room was designed to accommodate organization wide trainings, but also community meetings. The civic aspect of this space was conceived to give back to the credit union members and introduce the credit union to a broader segment of the community.

                                           

Project Details

Submission Category

Building Architecture- Large Scale (>10,000 sf)

Date of Completion

September, 2021