Project Spotlight: First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union New Headquarters

Client:                   First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union

Industry:              Commercial

Location:              Trexlertown, PA

Total Square Footage:    81,000

First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union (FCFCU) is currently preparing to move their staff into their new headquarters building.  They are anticipated to move in starting in May of 2020.  With a new 81,000 square foot space, this central location will now house employees from both of their existing headquarters.   The space will initially be home to 120 employees, however room for growth was taken into consideration in the overall design.

At the start of bringing this project to life, MKSD and FCFCU discussed preliminary “big picture” items, and the overall design concept.  From the beginning, FCFCU knew they wanted to incorporate several public common spaces that would serve as breakaway and touchdown areas for their employees.  FCFCU felt that providing a variety of adjacent spaces was crucial for employee productivity and inspiration.  Some of the spaces that were integrated in order to serve their employees were; coffee stations, a large central lunchroom (to encourage collaboration and meeting amongst all employees), and a variety of different sized meeting spaces.  Another important element to FCFCU was the use of glass throughout the space.  Using glass as opposed to solid walls provided a strong feeling of transparency, which is important in their relationship with all employees.  All office fronts were a full height wall of glass, also allowing maximum natural light to enter the rest of the space. 

As the design of the new space developed even further, additional factors came into play.  FCFCU had a strong desire to create a space for their employees that promoted a healthy working environment.   Some of the design elements that were implemented to achieve this were; a central staircase with easy access to encourage employees to take the stairs instead of an elevator, a private gym for the employees to use on the ground floor, and sit-to-stand desks.  The overall aesthetic of the space was designed to be “timeless contemporary” and provide an inviting atmosphere for both clients and employees.

MKSD was excited to have the opportunity to work with FCFCU on their vision of their future headquarters.  We can’t wait to see this project come to life.