SmithGroup realized the design for the regional headquarters of digital financial services company, Ally, located in Detroit, Michigan.

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.

Ally Financial 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.

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 workstation would be more than 30 feet from natural light.

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.

Design: SmithGroup

Photography: Justin Maconochie

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