BENTLYFARMER’S BANK

2015 AIA Nevada Excellence in Design Awards

PROJECT DESCRIPTION FORM - PAGE 1 of 2

Project Category (Choose one) - See category descriptions in the Call for Entries Packet

x Built Architecture o Unbuilt Architectureo Collaborative Achievement o Academic Projects

Type of Project: Office spaceCompletion date: February 2015Type of Construction: Historic remodelMaterial Used: MiscellaneousBuilding area: 13,000 SF

Statement of Design Approach: (describe initial thinking and considerations for the project)

We were called in to redesign the Farmer’s Bank Building into a 21st-century workplace. Although this building had previously been transformed from its original layout and function as a small town’s finan-cial center, we felt that its original early 20th-century grandeur was too beautiful to lose completely. The client, Chris Bently’s dream was an environmentally sustainable building that respected the dignity of the original banking hall while creating a relevant and inspiring work space for his company headquarters.

He envisioned a space where he could invite both the local community and high-ranking public officials, and that also accommodated diverse daily work needs such as casual meeting spaces and private offices. The underlying and often invisible element was LEED Platinum certification, which isn’t often seen in marrying traditional design with modern features.

Name of Project:Bently Farmer’s Bank

Project Identification Number:B15029

PROJECT DESCRIPTION FORM - PAGE 2 of 2 Narrative: (how the initial thinking and considerations for the project were implemented and executed - limited 400 words)

We created a cohesive space that reused many of the classic bank elements in creative ways. The front half of the interior is a double-height space that accommodates both office and community gatherings, with a large screen for projections and broadcasts. A former safe-deposit vault exhibits the history of the building and the story of its transformation, and is open to the public. Teller windows were reused in the back half of the downstairs space, which now flows seamlessly from the front half. The second vault in the middle of the building was repurposed as a meeting room, with a vault door as the conference table. Above this transformed vault, a new mezzanine overlooks the grand open space and adds to the open and airy feel.

The heart of daily operations beats upstairs. Here, we designed a combination of private offices andopen workspaces, as well as casual meeting areas. Tall cabinets and map drawers from the original bankreside upstairs, and open staircases feel modern but give a nod to history with the handrails and end returns. On the roof, a small, cramped room that was originally a lookout was converted into a larger, open penthouse with comfortable furniture, drop-dead views of the Sierras, and an outdoor terrace comfortably enclosed by sloping, bowl-shaped planting areas. This patio has quickly become a favorite space for employees, for both working and unwinding.

While the interior space feels modern-traditional, history is in the details: classical trim, pressed-tin ceilings, full-height columns, the original chandeliers, the teller windows, old cabinets, and the commercial transaction counter. Even the new elements and materials—most of the building—are faced or treated to look old and create a perfect illusion of originating in the building’s original era.

We used passive and active environmental strategies, taking advantage of the site and climate. The photovoltaic array on the roof doubles as a shade structure for the penthouse and roof patio. A typical HVAC system was rendered unnecessary by ground-source heat wells that were dug into the street outside so that the differential in water temperature could heat and cool the building. Solar tubes circle the roof, illuminating the interior spaces with daylight.

In marrying traditional design with modern features and sustainability, Farmer’s Bank illustrates that good design transcends labels or single-track approaches. The creativity behind this building’s rehabilitation opens doors for historic preservation, sustainability, and the meeting of the two in the most unlikely places.

Name of Project:Bently Farmer’s Bank

Project Identification Number:B15029

2015 AIA Nevada Excellence in Design Awards

FARMER’S BANKStepping into the future and rekindling history

REF.

LEVEL 1

MEZZANINE

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3safe vault conference room

WorK statIons

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lobby/gallery

mezzanIne balcony

neW glass toPPeD HIstory & leeD Info “KIosK” WItHIn olD safe DePosIt vault

sKylIgHt over vault

reuseD HIstorIc teller WInDoW Walls & vault gates

oPen offIce

caterIng PreP

ROOF / PENTHOUSEGARDEN

PHotovoltaIc solar Panels

solar tube

PLANTER

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conference room

PentHouse

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WalKWays IllumInateD WItH natural DaylIgHt tHrougH solar tube systems above

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lanDIng area IllumInateD WItH natural DaylIgHt tHrougH tHe sKylIgHt above

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SUSTAINABLE DIAGRAM

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