Chemical's exterior renovated by Verderame Arianna Architects.

In a highly populated bustling area of Chinatown, on the southeast corner of Canal and Mott Streets, stands one of Chemical Bank's premiere branches recently renovated by the New York-based Landy Verderame Arianna Architects.

For 25 years, the bank's facade and canopy were clad in bright red with several painted structural steel columns surrounding the building. It was also topped by a large Chinese ornamental pagoda. Inside, a red, black and gold color palette contributed to the flashy motif. Outdated furnishings and low hung ceilings resulted in a dark confining public area on the main floor.

A complex $1.1 million project, this cramped 6,000 sq. ft. two-story bank was bursting at the seams. To meet the demands of increased customer traffic and to maintain a consistent image with other Chemical Bank branches, the facility required an extensive gut rehab, facelift and expansion. Five new ATM machines, a new staircase and elevator were added to the facility while several existing public areas were relocated.

In addition to renovating the retail banking space housing 11 tellers and a new customer service area on the first floor, the architects expanded into the second floor to accommodate more customer service platforms and additional tellers. A new elevator was designed and installed in a height restricted space along with a monumental high tech staircase connecting three levels. The architects placed a new vault, ancillary tellers and a renovated employee lounge in the underutilized lower level.

Contributing to the renovation challenges, the branch had to remain open seven days a week as customers in Chinatown are used to doing their banking on weekends. This required detailed phasing requirements accomplished by a team effort among the bank, architects and contractor. Temporary work areas had to be created during the renovation. Most of the heavy demolition and construction took place at night and on weekends to avoid disruption of bank services.

Design description

Facade: To spruce up the facade, the architects chose durable yet elegant materials including granite, which was used to highlight the base give the building a sleek modern look. Non glossy metals such as composite aluminum panels were used to cover the columns and highlight the top band of the facade. As a result of this design application, the building owner would like to extend the aluminum design detailing to the upper floors of the building. The aluminum material has a long life span that doesn't fade over time. Additional exterior columns were placed at the facade to maintain a rhythmic design pattern at street level. High powered, bright white Halide metal lights manufactured by Bega provided maximum visibility and helped resist vandalism.

Interior Space Planning: Many existing service areas were relocated and expanded on the three levels. Alleviating the load on the first Door, the customer service area was moved to the rear of the space. The bank's expanded services, such as investment counseling, led to enlargement of platform areas on the second floor. The existing platforms were converted into a separate ATM section for four machines with plans for six in the future. In addition, the architects upgraded the employee lounges and bathrooms and installed a new customer vault in a once underutilized lower level.

Interior Architecture: One of the greatest architectural challenges was to create a spacious airy feeling in a dark oppressive public space on the first floor that had tight ceiling heights of 8[feet] - 8[feet]6[inches]. Landy Verderame Arianna Architects designed a vertical layout adding raised ceiling coffers and increased the ceiling height to 9[feet] 10[inches]. This required careful coordination of duct/structure and lighting. By sneaking duct work through select areas, they created the necessary voids to raise the ceiling. Every duct run had to be carefully coordinated between the mechanical engineer and architect.

The architects removed decorative low beams that hung from a flat ceiling on the main floor and created a recessed, carved sculptured ceiling design adding visual interest and allowing for better lighting on the main floor. By using linear fluorescent lights with diffusers, the architects eliminated the harshness and bright glare of the original down lighting and avoided the typical sea of acoustical tile. On the second floor, the architects used a higher end acoustical tile with recessed spline.

Colors and Furnishings: Incorporating the bank's design standards, Landy Verderame Arianna Architects developed a soft color palette of blues, whites and creams resulting in an open airy interior throughout the facility.

A blue and white ceramic tile floor integrates a series of geometric shapes complementing the ceiling design. All of this adds to a lofty feeling in the main public space.

Interior Staircase and Elevator: Adding a monumental winding stair from the cellar to the second floor in a narrow 10x10 area and a new elevator in a space that had extremely low ceiling heights presented another architectural challenge.

Requiring a precise design and construction procedure, the staircase had to be completed in six weeks without any down time. Landy Verderame Arianna Architects worked closely with the contractor to provide every dimension as well as carefully detailing each nut and bolt. This required prefabrication of the rails and posts in the shop.

To maximize visibility around the stair, the architects selected a perforated metal material and painted it light blue softening the industrial appearance. The same metal was incorporated at the top of the elevator cab to coordinate the design scheme. Satin stainless steel railings contributed to the elegance and sleek, precise look of the stair. Wall space was also left around the stair enabling artwork to be placed there as a focal point.