New Materials, Timeless Look

Banner Bank has been one of the leading institutions in Idaho to pursue LEED certification for its facilities. The Banner Bank Building itself, an 11-story art-deco structure in downtown Boise, received an LEED Platinum rating in 2006 and also won a 2007 Excellence in Design award from Environmental Design and Construction magazine. It gained national attention for implementing an unusual water reclamation system; instead of being restricted to re-using wastewater captured on its own site, the Banner Bank Building captures stormwater from seven acres of downtown roofs, streets, and parking lots.

Last month, the bank’s downtown Boise branch (which is located inside of the Banner Bank Building) was awarded LEED Gold certification.  Cornerstone Design provided interior design services for the project. According to Cornerstone’s website, the goal of the client was to produce a traditional bank which maintained their existing brand image, while also adhering to LEED for Commercial Interiors standards.

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Often, designing green is about rendering a new aesthetic — defining a modern look to suit the new materials and products that are being used. But when it comes to bank architecture, a “timeless” image works best. To achieve such an image, branch banks located inside of larger downtown buildings have relied heavily upon the use of materials such as wood and stone. Both materials figure prominently in the Banner Bank branch, and its designers relied heavily upon manufactured wood products to create an interior that is “as sustainable as possible and as beautiful as possible.”

For casework, Cornerstone installed wood veneers made of PureBond and EcoColors particleboard. Doors and trim are made of Lyptus. According to its website, PureBond is formaldehyde-free and is composed of 80% post-industrial recycled content. EcoColors tinted particleboard is a regional material made (until recently) by Portland-based Columbia Forest Products. Lyptus is a hardwood product manufactured from eucalyptus trees. While the trees are grown in Brazil, the Weyerhaeuser website explains that they are grown on plantations certified to Brazil’s national sustainable forestry standard, which has been recognized by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), an international organization that endorses credible sustainable forestry programs.

By relying upon recycled content in its wood products (and implementing other LEED-approved strategies, such as water conservation and use of natural lighting), the Banner Bank branch became the first commercial interior space to achieve LEED Gold status, while still projecting the timeless feel that is so important in bank branding.

Photo Credit: USGBC
 

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