Corporate Conference and Training Center

120,000 SF
Architecture
Interior Architecture
Master Planning
Land Planning
Landscape Architecture
Graphic Design

A Financial organization committed to employee preparedness and superior customer service, wanted an on-site conference and training center at its Headquarters Campus. In response, the architects designed a facility capable of housing the latest technological advances and equipped to host large groups of people. The 120,000 square-foot, two-story building is uniquely suited to public gatherings and employee learning.

The conference and training center is the home to their Corporate University, the company's employee education hub. More than 600 employees each day will be involved in training. The conference and training center employs an extensive array of technology systems in its 35 classrooms and several large multi-purpose rooms. The classrooms have cameras for distance learning that facilitate interaction with classrooms located throughout the country. Most of the classrooms are also wired for audiovisual equipment and computer use.

Each 800 square-foot classroom has raised-access flooring, which accommodates advances in technology and allows for flexible seating configurations. The multi-purpose rooms have a 400-person capacity; a full-service dining servery is also located within the building. Large two-story public spaces and offices for training department staff are also incorporated into the conference and training center.

The architect's goal in designing the conference and training center was to make the structure stand out, yet blend with the 93-acre corporate campus. The team wanted to celebrate the unique function of the building by designing a structure of distinction, but they also wanted to integrate the building into the built and natural environment of the campus. Their solution is a two-story, 120,000 square-foot structure that uses material palettes that are compatible with, but not identical to, the other buildings on the campus. Soaring metal panels in the roof and a wall of glass on the perimeter of the building complement the dark brick cladding.

Workplace strategy, technology, software and architecture have been integrated to create the Learning Knowledge Center on Campus. A collaborative environment that embodies the Company's culture and aligns with its business goals."

Copyright and photography – RMJM/Hillier Architecture.