Commercial Design Awards

Commercial Design Awards 2023 Winner: General Office

This new headquarters for Legacy Bank and Trust features inspiring work environments for both customer-facing and internal activities while reserving space for business growth.

By Tessa Cooper

Jul 2023

General Office 2023 Commercial Design Awards winner interior photo

Photo by Jared Hoffpauir PhotographyTo add some intrigue to the board room, architects George Mandrik and Geoffrey Butler placed suspended linear light forms geometrically in the new Legacy Bank space.

Category: General Office

Project Goal: To design new headquarters for Legacy Bank and Trust that features inspiring work environments for both customer-facing and internal activities while reserving space for business growth. The aim was to create a timeless yet modern building designed around the way the bank conducts business.

Architects
George Mandrik, BRP Architects
Geoffrey Butler, BRP Architects

Designers
Mykayla Thompson, Grooms Office Environments
Samantha Falk, Grooms Office Environments

Legacy Bank and Trust’s headquarters at 3250 E. Sunshine Street sits on 2.5 acres right off Highway 65, so it’s located within one of Springfield’s busiest commercial districts. Architects George Mandrik and Geoffrey Butler with BRP Architects were able to maximize the site of this former Meeks Lumber retail store to meet the bank’s needs while complying with Springfield’s City Zoning regulations.

The result was a four-story building with 40,000 square feet of usable space. On the first floor, the bank utilizes 1,600 square feet for retail banking, which features a drive-through. Also on the first floor is 4,500 square feet of customer-centered workspace. There is an open monumental staircase connecting the main level to the second floor, which features the bank’s training and breakroom. The remaining two floors house office space for the bank’s centralized operations, a hospitality area, a conference room, an outdoor patio and lease space for future growth opportunities.

Interior photo CDA 2023 General Office winner

To add some intrigue to the board room, Mandrik and Butler placed suspended linear light forms geometrically.

Office bar space CDA General Office 2023 winner

The first floor of the headquarters is primarily customer-facing. “During our initial design phase, we uncovered how Legacy Bank would like each of their new and existing clients to feel as they entered the building,” says Samantha Falk, senior designer at Grooms Office Environments.

Staircase at new Legacy Bank office space, CDA General Office 2023 winner

When designing the building’s layout, architects George Mandrik and Geoffrey Butler with BRP Architects placed core features like restrooms, elevators and staircases in the center of the building.

Photos by Jared Hoffpauir Photography

The building’s façade is a combination of dark cement fiber, but also a lot of glass. This abundance of windows allows the interior to meld with its environment. According to Butler, the window-forward design also gives off a sense of business transparency. “When we’re talking about views, it’s views in and views out,” Butler says. “When you’re in the building you’ve got great views out, but when you’re driving by, you can actually see in and get a feel for what people are doing in there.”

The design team at Grooms Office Environments also contributed to the project. Mykayla Thompson, former designer at Grooms, led the efforts on selecting interior finishes with the assistance of now senior designer Samantha Falk. Victoria Gorham, sales manager, also helped Falk select furniture “The main objective of our design team was to intentionally create each area to accurately represent Legacy Bank’s core values while creating a functional and timeless workspace,” Falk says.