Michigan State University Federal Credit Union Headquarters & Branch Locations

Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) is a large financial institution that serves more than 365,000 members, operating out of two headquarters buildings on their East Lansing campus and several branches in Michigan and Illinois. As they shifted to a hybrid work model for their nearly 1,300 employees, MSUFCU engaged SmithGroup to explore how their headquarters could be redesigned to optimize this new work style. They were eager to strengthen team identity while establishing equity for individual work preferences and flexibility for evolving work modes. The project also entailed the design of five MSUFCU retail branches in Chicago—the organization’s first expansion into that market.

The workplace strategy focused on redistributing space usage in the primary headquarters building and creating new types of workspaces that better serve the growing, innovative credit union. Designed around the concept of flexible neighborhood modules, the plan maintains departmental identity, while allowing for fluctuations in staff count, greater inter-departmental coordination and allocating more space for new shared amenities. Even as the organization expands its membership and market reach, the new strategy reduces space needs at its campus headquarters and branches. MSUFCU is now more connected, flexible, efficient and responsive to the needs of their employees and members.

Departmental neighborhoods form the core of the upper 2nd, 3rd and part of the 4th levels, with a variety of individual workstations, meeting rooms and immersion zones for group collaboration. Room configurations and furnishings are designed specifically to maximize hybrid meeting effectiveness and unite employees regardless of location. The focus on virtual equity also led to the inclusion of a new podcasting studio and recording studio to produce media content and an innovation lab for testing new meeting, workshop and collaboration models.

On the first level, the design reimagines the lobby with a reworked feature stair, a flexible event room with adjacent outdoor patio and an enclosed community space embedded with technology and screens. All can be used together or separately along with an array of versatile spaces for public events, financial seminars and training. Material choices of metal, wood and environmental graphics convey a sense of warmth and welcome for this people-oriented credit union, with a subtle sophistication that reflects their innovation and financial strength. Branding is integrated through color accents and graphics that depict the history and evolution of the organization.

The project also created a new template for MSUFCU’s freestanding branches. These feature the credit union’s updated visual identity, but with a stronger emphasis on branding that can be adapted to fit the membership at each branch location. For the credit union’s first foray into the Chicago market, the design focuses on building brand recognition and communicating innovation. Environmental graphics and lighting on interior back walls, combined with glass privacy screens layered with tightly knit LED diodes in the foreground, create three-dimensional street-level graphics that draw passersby into the branch.

The effort to develop templates for existing urban buildings resulted in creative solutions that were up to 40% smaller than previous templates. These new templates now provide additional options for the client as they continue to expand.

At its headquarters and branches, MSUFCU’s workplace strategy and design enable a seamless transition into new work styles and markets, reflecting a future-focused approach that strengthens connections among teams, members, and the communities they serve. The model was intentionally designed to be member-centric, creating more efficient spaces that enhance service and provide a consultative environment where employees can engage meaningfully with members.