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50 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2022 Acquilano Programs Ent Credit Union HQ in Colorado Springs F ounded in 1957 to serve the Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Ent Credit Union has grown to be the state’s largest credit union with more than 440,000 member-owners and more than 40 Front Range locations. Ent’s purposeful growth has been so remarkable that in 2019 it purchased a 27-acre site in north Colorado Springs where it would commission a master planned campus totaling 1 million square feet across five buildings. Developer and project manager Shea Properties engaged Denver-based design firm Acquilano Inc. to pro- gram for Ent’s purposeful success. Their studies project- ed future space needs and other criteria necessary for a shaping the first building from the inside out – a strate- gy that paired Acquilano’s interior architecture expertise with the renowned core/shell and landscape architects at Davis Partnership. The design teams responded with a 325,000-square-foot T-shaped structure of five stories to accommodate the campus’s needs for reception, member contact area, café, cafeteria, dining, convertible ballrooms, training, fitness center, boardroom and locker rooms in addition to a headcount capacity of 1,000-plus employees. The site also includes a parking structure, sport courts, additional dining, and an elevated veranda overlooking a Colorado-themed water feature and lawn with tiered auditorium. The project was furnished by Workplace Resources and constructed by GE Johnson. “Building this modern facility where we can attract, train and retain the best talent has been critical,” said Rich Sholes, Ent’s chief experience officer. “We are a ser- vice organization, and our service is only as good as our people.” Ent’s focus on people and service has continued to fuel its success through the pandemic – nearly filling the new headquarters building.\\ ABOVE: Sited with unparalleled western views, the exterior (east entry pictured) features highly reflective glass, prefinished aluminum composite and custom precast. RIGHT: The “member contact” area provides an elevated customer experience. Situated front and center, it enables Ent’s service- first approach. PHOTOS: Frank Ooms