Truist Leadership Institute North Building | CJMW Architecture

The Truist Leadership Institute has long been a place where leaders are developed, a campus dedicated to executive leadership development, and set against the foothills of Greensboro, North Carolina.

When the Institute looked to expand with a new North Building, CJMW Architecture designed the building and its interiors, creating a retreat that strengthens connection to nature and supports focus, reflection, and collaboration.

Treehouse-like porches nestle into the canopy. Carefully screened daylight shapes calm, meditative interiors. A structured arrival façade gives way to nature-oriented spaces built for deep focus. All in service of a single idea: the best thinking happens when architecture gets out of the way.

The North Building is the second project CJMW designed for the Truist Leadership Institute. The LEED Gold-targeted building encompasses 86,000 square feet organized into a three-story conference center and a four-story guest room wing with 64 executive guest rooms and more than a dozen advanced learning spaces designed to support immersive leadership programs. The architecture is refined and streamlined, with a cool palette, clean lines, and a sensibility that feels both elevated and inviting.

A large concrete pier anchors the building’s porches and houses three stacked fireplaces across different levels, creating a structural element that cantilevers the decks while bringing the warmth of home to each floor.

A three-story monumental circular stair with glass railings creates both a visual and physical connection across the building’s levels, enhancing wayfinding and spatial awareness, an embodiment of the transformation and growth that occurs during the Institute’s programs. A three-story, specially commissioned sculpture formed from hundreds of metal butterflies, a symbol of transformation, falls from the ceiling down through the center of the stair, creating a play of light and shadow that shifts throughout the day.

Custom furniture was designed specifically for the project, and a uniquely curated art package celebrates North Carolina resident artists working across metal, fiber, hand-blown glass, and photography, representing the state from mountains to shore.

The North Building features a full bistro and restaurant, fitness centers, and outdoor porches with fireplaces, bringing a luxury hospitality experience to the Institute. Touchdown workspaces, huddle rooms, and informal seating areas are woven throughout, giving guests places to step out of sessions, take a call, or work between meetings without ever leaving the immersive environment.

Recognition | The Truist Leadership Institute North Building has been recognized with multiple design and architecture awards, including: