East Texas Professional Credit Union
The Challenge
While the purpose of headquarters and main office buildings has undeniably shifted in recent years, some organizations still prefer the close-knit nature and culture of completely in-office facilities. That being said, these organizations understand that in order to retain their talent and attract new talent in a world where so many remote and hybrid positions are available, their headquarters needs to be appealing to all types of employees. East Texas Professional Credit Union (ETPCU) evaluated their headquarters and decided to adapt and evolve to meet current market changes. They decided a completely new ground-up headquarters wasn’t just an option — it was a necessity.
The Journey
When meeting with ETPCU, it became clear that one of their main priorities was their employees. Currently, the credit union is expanding and growing at a rapid rate, with more growth predicted in the future. Fundamentally, they needed this new headquarters to house their growing staff now and for years to come. NewGround purposefully designed the space to allow for a 15-year growth plan, with lots of vacancies and office space to be filled at later times.
Another part of employee culture kept in mind was the inclusion of collaborative spaces. These spaces ranged from larger boardrooms to outdoor access with hook-ups for grills. One room in particular, while normally divided for boardrooms and meeting spaces, can be opened up by taking down temporary walls to allow for large employee gatherings and celebrations. This space even includes an adjacent kitchen and overhang seating for employees so that everyone can feel included when meeting in a large space at once.
Nature and the great outdoors are pivotal themes within ETPCU. While the employees are working indoors, the feel of the outdoors needed to remain a consistent theme throughout the facility. To accomplish this, NewGround’s designers got to work making a magnetic and engaging space perfectly in-tune with the nature surrounding it. This included overlaying several different types of wood, green coloring and tones, images and themes of forests and trees, and textures that made the entire headquarters feel like a living embodiment of East Texas.
Environmental graphics also played a key role, as they served to engage the employees in the history of ETPCU. One such environmental graphic had a large map of the area with stars placed to indicate the location of each of ETPCU’s branches. To accommodate future growth, the designers made this graphic magnetic, so future stars could be added to areas of the map to represent new branches. They also created a history wall with photos on a timeline that represents pictures being added to a shelf. This celebrates the history of ETPCU and the community surrounding it.
The Destination
NewGround understood that for an organization like ETPCU, having all employees in the office is incredibly important. Not only did they need the technical accommodations for these goals, but they also needed an appealing headquarters design that could reflect that same vital culture. Through NewGround’s architecture and design teams, their themes and goals were carried throughout project completion from the ground up. All aspects and goals were strategized and integrated from the very beginning to create a gorgeous and beautiful headquarters space that employees will be thrilled to return to for years to come.
THE DETAILS
THE CHALLENGE
While the purpose of headquarters and main office buildings has undeniably shifted in recent years, some organizations still prefer the close-knit nature and culture of completely in-office facilities. That being said, these organizations understand that in order to retain their talent and attract new talent in a world where so many remote and hybrid positions are available, their headquarters needs to be appealing to all types of employees. East Texas Professional Credit Union (ETPCU) evaluated their headquarters and decided to adapt and evolve to meet current market changes. They decided a completely new ground-up headquarters wasn’t just an option — it was a necessity.
THE JOURNEY
When meeting with ETPCU, it became clear that one of their main priorities was their employees. Currently, the credit union is expanding and growing at a rapid rate, with more growth predicted in the future. Fundamentally, they needed this new headquarters to house their growing staff now and for years to come. NewGround purposefully designed the space to allow for a 15-year growth plan, with lots of vacancies and office space to be filled at later times.
Another part of employee culture kept in mind was the inclusion of collaborative spaces. These spaces ranged from larger boardrooms to outdoor access with hook-ups for grills. One room in particular, while normally divided for boardrooms and meeting spaces, can be opened up by taking down temporary walls to allow for large employee gatherings and celebrations. This space even includes an adjacent kitchen and overhang seating for employees so that everyone can feel included when meeting in a large space at once.
Nature and the great outdoors are pivotal themes within ETPCU. While the employees are working indoors, the feel of the outdoors needed to remain a consistent theme throughout the facility. To accomplish this, NewGround’s designers got to work making a magnetic and engaging space perfectly in-tune with the nature surrounding it. This included overlaying several different types of wood, green coloring and tones, images and themes of forests and trees, and textures that made the entire headquarters feel like a living embodiment of East Texas.
Environmental graphics also played a key role, as they served to engage the employees in the history of ETPCU. One such environmental graphic had a large map of the area with stars placed to indicate the location of each of ETPCU’s branches. To accommodate future growth, the designers made this graphic magnetic, so future stars could be added to areas of the map to represent new branches. They also created a history wall with photos on a timeline that represents pictures being added to a shelf. This celebrates the history of ETPCU and the community surrounding it.
THE DESTINATION
NewGround understood that for an organization like ETPCU, having all employees in the office is incredibly important. Not only did they need the technical accommodations for these goals, but they also needed an appealing headquarters design that could reflect that same vital culture. Through NewGround’s architecture and design teams, their themes and goals were carried throughout project completion from the ground up. All aspects and goals were strategized and integrated from the very beginning to create a gorgeous and beautiful headquarters space that employees will be thrilled to return to for years to come.
