Photo Courtesy of Al F. Payne Photography
The Norwest Program required
a 7,300-square-foot branch bank located in the rural, yet burgeoning town of
Prescott. The branch would provide conventional banking functions such as
transaction and loan services, as well as customer assistance with mortgage,
investment
and trust services. Bank functions that serve customer and staff pedestrian
traffic as well as customer and staff parking would be on one level and directly
accessible to the main entry. Walk-up and drive-up automatic teller machines
would be provided in addition to three drive-thru teller lanes.
The site is a parcel on the
perimeter of an existing shopping center located on a state highway frontage
road. The client
In order to accommodate the
building square footage and required parking, it was necessary to utilize all
of the site, regardless of the dramatic grade change. This was achieved by
placing the drive-thru function at the north, low point of the site and
overlapping a portion of the floor plan above.
Daylight was a strong
determinant in the building form. Through clerestories and skylights, a high
quality of light was introduced into the main entry, lobby and teller areas.
Skylights also were used to enhance the light level throughout the drive-thru
space. At the officer platform areas, careful consideration was given to
protect windows with vertical, diagonal fin walls and deep overhangs. Masonry
was chosen to create vertical sharing elements in order to extend the
material's expression skyward from the building's base.
The use of exposed trusses, glu-lams, steel connections and rusticated
masonry addresses the "character" of Prescott. The plaster exterior
finish was used as an element to relate to the existing shopping center
materials. Architectural continuity was carried from exterior to interior with
a sense of strength in structure through the introduction of the same masonry,
glu-lams and truss detailing.
To achieve an integration with the site, the building's northeast and northwest exterior walls were incorporated as retaining walls. These retaining walls, as well as the masonry at the building base, were articulated so as to reflect the geological strata that occur at outcroppings in the region. The horizontal masonry banding enhances the building's stability and belonging to the hillside.
7878 N. 16th Street, Suite 270
* Phoenix, AZ 85020
Phone: (602) 943-8424 Fax: (602) 943-7931