Credit union adds third branch with nice design

University of Illinois Employees Credit Union, a $157 million financial institution, has a new branch in Urbana. The 6,500 square foot facility cost $2 million to build and will employ 20.

Branch features include:

• A giant photo of UI’s Foellinger Auditorium covering the wall behind tellers
• A band of orange surrounds the walls, punctuated with images of familiar local sites
• Curved orange and blue acrylic panels are suspended above the reception desk
• A complimentary coffee bar, a children’s activity center and a tech center in the lobby

Greg S. Anderson, interim President of the credit union and its former EVP, said the credit union tried to follow Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ‘green building’ standards (LEED) in designing the new office:

• Landscaping was designed to reduce water usage
• Heating and lighting was planned with energy efficiency in mind
• 75%of the building space gets daylight
• Nonsolvent-based paints, adhesives and carpets were used to reduce off-gassing (smells and air contaminants left behind be new interior floors, glues and finishes)

The design/build partner overseeing the project is DEI Incorporated, Cincinnati.