Innovation Learning and Operations Center

Marquette Savings Bank

swipe to view photos

CLIENT GOALS

Marquette Saving Bank is local to the Erie area with deep roots and commitment to the community and its downtown revitalization projects. When they were ready to expand their main office and relocate their ‘Operations’ and ‘Information Technology’ offices, they looked to stay local and centered at their current location in Erie’s Central Business and Innovation District. The new location would also house a training center for outside use and an ‘Innovation Center’ focused outwardly to bring in the public and instruct on customer-facing technology and applications. They needed a facility that would be both highly visible and transparent to welcome their prospective clientele, as well as secure and technology-rich to support their business operations.

SOLUTIONS

As their design professionals, WMF helped them assess several buildings and provided various options for either renovation or demolition/new construction. It was ultimately decided that a new building would be most cost effective to provide the type of open spaces that they needed. This approach would also accommodate more interstitial space for the robust infrastructure needed for their IT department.

RESULTS

The Marquette Savings Bank Innovation Learning Center celebrated their Grand Opening on July 20, 2021. The design team developed a new, 17,000 SF facility that would extend the Marquette footprint and branding along an entire block of Erie’s downtown. The exterior of the building was designed to blend old and new, using brick and cast stone as a nod to Marquette’s past, as well as their main office to the North. Modern blue composite-metal paneling and structural glazing was also included to broadcast their signature branding color and highlight the public entrance to the facility. The interior was similarly developed, combining traditional functions (i.e. single-use offices and break rooms) with state-of-the-art glazing wall assemblies and lighting. The less traditional areas like the public ‘Innovation Center’ and open offices also utilized newer materials and technologies but with a small amount of wood features to ground and balance the spaces.