Ally Financial Regional Headquarters
A company’s office tells a story. At its new regional headquarters in Detroit, Ally Financial brings its brand story and the local community’s resurgence to life.
Client
Ally Financial
Location
Detroit, Michigan
Markets/Services
Architecture, Corporate Headquarters & Campuses, Corporate Interiors, Interiors, Workplace
Size
320,000 GSF
Ally Financial, a leader in digital financial services, wanted to consolidate five dispersed suburban offices into a block of 13 floors in a prominent Class A office building in downtown Detroit. Company leaders craved a space that was exciting and dynamic, and which would reflect and support its shift from the suburbs to urban-rich areas across the country. SmithGroup partnered with Ally Financial to completely reimagine the design of their office space and reshape the perception of the company’s brand.
The new Ally space is open, vibrant, sustainable and casual. Through SmithGroup’s robust workplace design strategy process, we discovered that Ally needed more collaborative and flexible spaces – not only to reach their business goals, but to aide in recruiting and retention as well. This led to an activity-based solution where team members work in a variety of settings and various spaces can serve as impromptu meeting venues.
In a puckish gesture, the Ally logo was branded onto the surface of reclaimed wood, a motif repeated throughout the building.
Relocating from southeastern Michigan suburbs to downtown Detroit was a major company shift. In a gesture of civic pride, each floor was named and themed after a local neighborhood. The material palette includes reclaimed wood, polished concrete floors and steel details. The ceilings are open and loft-like, contributing to the cultural shift from buttoned-up to casual. The new space offers ample windows and daylight, which designers strategically used to ensure that no employee work station would be more than 30 feet from natural light.
Our design proved to be successful, as noted through a post-occupancy survey of the client:
- 30-point increase in respondents believing the new workplace design enhances innovation
- 37-point increase in respondents believing the new workplace design increases effective collaboration
- 85% of respondents believe they are more productive in the new workspace
Ally Financial’s new offices are emblematic of a resurgent Detroit. SmithGroup’s inventive and inclusive design aids the company in servicing its young customer base and engendering employee pride in the company’s freshened brand.