BBVA Compass celebrated its renovated Brock Center, a space primarily for programmers, on Thursday. The space is representative of the bank's move toward instant banking and a bigger focus on digital operations, bank officials said.

About 500 people work on the newly renovated third floor on the Clairmont Avenue building. The renovation cost about $13 million and BBVA will likely continue to renovate the rest of the building, BBVA Compass Chairman and CEO Manolo Sanchez said. By the time the entire building is renovated, it will likely mean around a $20 million investment.

"What we wanted to build was an environment where they could better collaborate in," BBVA Chief Digital Banking Officer Jeff Dennes said. "By empowering these people to actually make the decisions on a day to day basis, and not having to email somebody, not have to get up and wait for somebody in a conference room to make a decision, they'll be able to stand up and talk amongst themselves and make the best decision, which is what this environment is all about."

About 1,825 people work in the Brock Center. BBVA has in-house programmers who build all of the bank's mobile and web applications.

"A lot of banks don't do that," Sanchez said.

Apple Co-founder Steven Wozniak attended Thursday's event. He's speaking to business leaders tonight as part of a five-city series of economic forums. Tonight's event is not open to the public.

BBVA first announced the renovation of the Brock Center in 2011.

BBVA Compass is the U.S. arm of Spain-based banking giant BBVA Group, which bought Birmingham's Compass Bancshares in 2007.