Orion FCU - American Way

  • Architecture
    Interior Design

  • Adaptive Reuse
    Enhanced Site Accessibility
    Light Pollution Reduction
    Low Maintenance Materials
    Reclaimed Building Materials

  • Completed July 2014

  • Memphis, Tennessee

Orion Federal Credit Union’s American Way branch reinvents an abandoned bank branch to further invest in its employees, membership, and the community.

The client relocated a neighborhood branch from a retail/office complex to a freestanding building to build on its commitment to an area underserved by financial institutions. The new branch fosters stronger relationships with each individual member and focus on openness, transparency, and trust.

  • The design brief required a redefinition of the Credit Union’s branch standards and identity by renovating a vacated branch building owned by a competitor. The design concept uses space and materiality to create architectural expressions of open space and transparency, while providing the security and privacy required by a financial institution. The concept creates a series of architectural elements that house portions of the program. The major elements are arranged so that their boundaries are parallel to one another. The focal space is the Member Hall, unified by a linear wood canopy, where members can make transactions whether they are in the conditioned space on foot, or in their vehicle outside. A Welcome Entry zone, characterized by a solid floating Canopy, extends from the building’s interior to the exterior, marking the pedestrian entrance from the parking lot.  Private office and support spaces are grouped in more enclosed areas that flank the Welcome Entry and Member Hall, with high ceilings and glass partitions that allow natural light in and visibility throughout the branch. Transitional elements, like a thickened Gallery Wall with local art, and a Welcome Landscape with varying textured surfaces and vehicular bollards that double as benches, serve as transitions between the major elements.

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