Leo A Daly, the well-known international architecture, planning, engineering, interior design and program management firm, was chosen by the SAC Federal Credit Union, Nebraska’s largest credit union, to provide design and engineering services for its new corporate headquarters campus in Papillion, Nebraska. Their design for the headquarters reflects SAC’s close culture, collaborative work environment and its commitment to the community. The headquarters will rest on a strong brick foundation, a metaphorical representation of SAC’s member-owner base. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Since 2006, SAC has grown from $294 million in assets to over $575 million. The growth, spurred by an aggressive strategic vision, forced the credit union to transform storage areas to office spaces and move some functions to leased spaces. To meet its current and projected growth over the next 20 to 30 years, SAC purchased approximately five acres at the southeast corner of 72nd Street and US Highway 370 in Papillion, and signed a purchase agreement with the City of Papillion for approximately five additional acres.
Following the purchase, Leo A Daly was tasked with creating a collaborative, energetic and forward-thinking headquarters that accommodates SAC’s growth and also reflects its unique standing as a leader in the business community. The new 95,000-square-foot, four-story headquarters, which will house as many as 250 employees, will allow for the consolidation of all corporate departments, including operations, human resources, marketing, lending, finance, quality assurance/compliance and information technology. The facility will include a branch credit union with both drive-up and external ATM options, and staff amenities consisting of a lounge with food service, a health and fitness center and a community room. The approximately $20 million facility’s ground-breaking is anticipated for fall 2012, with completion in spring 2014.
At the heart of the building will be the “communication core,” a four-story atrium with a large, wooden staircase to which all departments and offices will open, encouraging interaction among different departments, members and employees. The upper three levels of the building, which are made of glass and aluminum metal panels, cantilever 30 feet on one side, providing a canopy for the drive-through while also making a strong gesture towards the community.
A rooftop patio and green space and a 4th floor balcony with an overhead lattice system provide employees an opportunity to enjoy the panoramic views of the landscape. The corridor on the northern façade provides breakout work spaces with large windows to facilitate creative collaboration and flexible group work.
The new flagship building is designed to include sustainable building materials, responsible energy-efficient mechanical and lighting systems, and lifecycle cost- saving measures. Chilled beams and radiant heating, air-to-air energy recovery wheels and a geo-thermal well field will provide significant energy savings compared to the ASHRAE 90.1 baseline building. The lighting design will incorporate energy efficient luminaires and lamp sources, including LED’s and fluorescent lamps. Multi-level switching, dimming controls, and occupancy sensors will be combined with full-building automatic lighting control panels to reduce energy consumption. Additionally, daylight harvesting and light shelves will be incorporated in certain areas of the building to take full advantage of available natural light.
Over the past eight years, Leo A Daly has designed and renovated multiple SAC locations, including their 31st and Ames, 171st and Maple, and South 24th Street branches in Omaha, and their current headquarters and Mortgage Group locations in Bellevue.
