Confidential Client – Nashville Headquarters Renovation

Project Statement

When this Nashville-based financial institution decided to purchase the building it had leased for years, the investment opened the door to completely reimagine its headquarters. After completing a series of smaller improvement projects with the design team over the previous years, the client realized that incremental upgrades were no longer enough. The pandemic accelerated that shift and changed expectations for employees and the organization along the way. As employee growth, strategies for working and workplace mandates evolved, so did the philosophy and design for how the client needed to occupy the building.

Together, the team tackled aging infrastructure and replaced a dated, generic environment that no longer reflected the companies identity. The new design language, “Constructing Community,” is all about bringing people and spaces together—encouraging interaction, supporting collaboration, and creating destinations employees genuinely want to use.

Throughout the workplace, social hubs with dining, coffee, gaming and conferencing spaces give people more opportunities to connect. A dedicated work-amenity floor provides a range of flexible settings, from breakout areas, an IT Genius Bar, a content studio, to quiet zones for focused work. Connectivity between groups was also greatly improved by adding a multi-floor monumental stair that links a series of social gathering spaces and renovating an existing stair between several lower floors.

Reducing friction for employees was an important consideration as we examined how the building was re-imagined. Even the arrival experience was rethought, shifting from a fortress-like security model to a welcoming, hospitality-driven approach with transparent badge-access points and concierge-style staffing. Brand storytelling is woven throughout the space—sometimes subtly and sometimes more boldly—so the workplace feels unmistakably tailored to the brand. Along with ongoing building-systems commissioning to improve performance, sustainability, and operational efficiency, these changes have created a welcoming, future-ready headquarters for employees, visitors, and the broader community.

Design for Energy: Ongoing Energy and Systems Commissioning: In addition to aesthetic considerations, an important aspect of the project was continuous commissioning of mechanical, electrical and energy systems throughout the building’s lifecycle. The team led ongoing improvements that delivered substantial operational cost savings and enhanced sustainability. The commissioning team’s deep involvement helped optimize equipment performance and reduce utility costs over time. This focus underscored a comprehensive commitment to excellence in both form and function.


Design for Equitable Communities: A Community-Focused Gathering Place: The project also reinforced the company’s community impact. Ground-level areas were designed to support frequent community events like United Way meetings and blood drives. Thanks to relaxed yet effective security measures, the building can serve as a gathering spot not only for employees but for the wider community, highlighting the company’s identity as a community-driven organization.


Design for Integration: Integrating Brand Identity into Physical Space:

The prior space felt generic and unbranded, missing the client’s ethos and pride—loyalty, strong work ethic and passion for the brand. The redesign made the workplace unmistakably unique through a storytelling approach that tied architecture and interiors to the company’s role in financing infrastructure, supporting communities, and fueling growth.


Details like visible fasteners and celebrated joinery became a metaphor for connection and collaboration. 3D-printed, scaled machine parts formed numeric screens at elevator lobbies, while large-format graphics featured real construction sites and equipment nationwide. Employee engagement walls display team photos secured with hex-fastener motifs. From signage to textured wall graphics, every element was intentionally and uniquely branded to connect employees and visitors to place and purpose.