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Additional Info
Award Winner : NewGround
Architectural Excellence : A large regional bank with a name synonymous with the world’s most popular motorcycles, Harleysville National, had no brand identity. Their branches were a mish-mash of styles. NewGround created a new brand image for the bank, starting with the inside. Creating the best retailing elements to market the services that the bank offered, the brand of the bank was totally reinvented. Digital signage, multimedia merchandising, stunning graphics (including a golden egg) and a story line to support the bank’s sales effort were created. Large retail store windows displayed the bank’s wares, day and night.
The layout featured a clear delineation of services and product lines, allowing customers, whether they were retail, transaction-driven, medium sized business customers or upper echelon wealth management clients, to enjoy services in their own defined areas. A swoosh-shaped teller counter, with separate service areas for retail or business customers, was the coup de gras.
Cost Energy Effectiveness : Zoning the heating and cooling to operate efficiently within the various “selling” zones of the building was a major challenge. Careful planning and layout created comfort zones that made staff and customers feel at home and helped spur the growth of the bank’s business. High energy efficiency gas furnaces, coupled with high SEER rated air conditioning units, kept the bank’s operating costs under control. Well-insulated 6” exterior walls combined with extra roof insulation and under-floor insulation was an investment that would give the bank a quick payback and provide an energy efficient building for years.
Operating just outside of an expensive Philadelphia labor market, the overall cost of the project was held in check thanks to the large percentage of the building structure that was built in a factory setting. Labor and industry approvals were timely and that helped speed the completion of the project, thereby keeping local labor and site management costs down.
Design Firm Name : NewGround Resources, Inc.
Occupied Date : 5/11/2007
Production Start Date : 8/15/2006
Project Location City : East Norriton
Project Location State Name : PA
Technical Innovation : The challenge was to incorporate the custom branded elements of the project within the confines of a factory built structure. NewGround and Miller worked closely to deliver all elements of what should have been a high end custom site built project within the tolerances of factory built structures. All of this was accomplished while maintaining the significant advantages of quick construction and delivery time frames, cost efficiency, and quality control of construction. Each aspect of the building deliverable was analyzed to determine if it should be factory or field built. The Client had the opportunity to walk through his building in the factory construction phase and see “the guts” of the project, before the “gingerbread” was added.
Since the display windows and the entrance tower were such significant aspects of the new Brand, it was critical that the look, feel and finished product were seamless to the Client. When the CEO stated her approval, we knew the Team had a winner!
Total Square Feet : 3560
Category : Permanent: Retail or Hospitality: over 2,000 sq. ft.