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Client:Mt. Mckinley Bank

Square Footage:6,100

Type:Commercial New Construction

Date of Completion:2002

Location:North Pole, Alaska

The Mt. Mckinley Bank is located on an expanding edge of an existing small downtown. The property selected by the client for maximum visibility to an arterial roard, presented design challenges. The zoning setbacks allowed a limited area to site the building in the east/west direction, with access only from a hared private road. on the west edge of the site.

Although the bank itself is a relatively modest 6,100 SF, the one acre site had to accomodate customer parking, drive-thru lane access and staff pakring on a long narrow site. Rotating the drive-thru lane 15 degrees to the west opened the site to vehicular access that was difficult to fit with an othogonal scheme. This rotation is carried through the plan the juxtapostion of the teller are and offices with the surrounding support areas, which are set parallel to the property lines. Coupled with the clerestroy volume, the lobby is an open, light, and engaging space.

The challenge of the bank as a building type is to balance the need for many closed secure spaces with the desire to present an open and welcoming face to the public. The program called for a public conference room that was accessible in the evening and yet secure from bank functions while in use. Placing this space most prominently at the northeast corner of the building, blanaced by the bank offices at the northwest corner, creates a transparent and open facade welcoming the public, while the majority of the building has a closed facade.