artfully innovative

GATE CITY BANK’S NEWEST LOCATION QUIETLY PUSHES DESIGN BOUNDARIES

The bold, light-filled atmosphere of Gate City Bank’s Woodhaven branch is designed to be different. “What we wanted to do is to create kind of a unique experience for our customers,” said Jay Krabbenhoft, senior vice president of office services at Gate City Bank. “We all feel a little bit of apprehension in a new space and we wanted to try to eliminate that. Our guests’ comfort—and our coworkers’ comfort—is very important.”

“I think the most important thing is that it’s warm and comfortable,” says architect Andrew Koedam, who designed the project for Fargo-based firm Wild|crg. “We looked at the bank, broke it down again and tried to see how we could get multiple functions out of each piece.”

Koedam looked at all the elements in bank design that can make customers feel alienated and redesigned them to make them inclusive, welcoming and multifunctional. Everything in the bank’s 14th location in the Fargo-Moorhead area, located at 3800 51st Ave. S. in Fargo, is designed with transparency, openness and accessibility in mind.

The tiny drive-through windows that obscure both the teller and the customer are replaced with an expansive sheet of glass that welcomes customers at first glance, offers the staff sweeping outdoor views, and floods the lobby with natural light. In place of a segregated teller line, customers find a wide counter complete with a lower shelf to put a phone or handbag that feels more like a hotel desk, and a waiting area with a 90-inch television that can double as a meeting room as needed.

Branch employees work behind glass walls instead of being hidden away in offices, a design choice that encourages openness with customers and collaboration between employees. Soothing white noise, glass doors and quiet background music create a peaceful atmosphere and preserve privacy. When a customer fills out a deposit slip at the convenience island, they can pour a cup of coffee, nibble on a freshly baked cookie and even take a seat in a colorful, upholstered chair to gather their thoughts.

Even if customers don’t understand the design forces at work in the Woodhaven branch, they can feel the emotional impact when they take in the high-ceilinged sun-drenched lobby, its airy spaces punctuated with striking art and a jaw-dropping custom chandelier from Lucas Lighting. “Their eyes light up immediately and they say, ‘Wow,’” says Brandie Haugen, assistant vice president and personal banking supervisor, adding that the employees appreciate the natural light and that the space’s dramatic light fixture looks especially striking at night.

At just under 3,000 square feet, the branch is about 2,000 square feet smaller than a typical bank branch, so “every square inch is utilized,” said Krabbenhoft. Every single element, right down to the pull out drawers and built-in cabinets, was carefully considered and designed for maximum efficiency and flexibility.

The design team wanted everything in the Woodhaven branch to be beautiful and functional. Team members created several elements specifically for the space, including custom carpets and a nearly floor-to-ceiling painting by local artist Christa Crane in the lobby. Much like the bold wallpaper that cleverly hides the doors to the janitor’s closet, Crane’s painting is beautiful on it’s own but also serves a purpose— obscuring the door to the teller room.

Local art is prominently featured throughout the building. Krabbenhoft, who has a keen eye for aesthetics and design and whose guided tours include passionate and nuanced discussions of color theory and lighting design, sourced most pieces from artists and craftspeople in the region.

Gate City Bank’s art collection is lit like it’s in a gallery, with 14 zones on dimmers and colored lighting effects to display it to its best advantage. And not all of the art is hanging the walls. When customers reach for a pen or grab a still-warm cookie, they’re interacting with custom-designed vessels by Fargo sculptor James Wolberg.

Tiny, tactile details like this are part of the soothing, welcoming experience that Wild|crg and Gate City Bank have worked so hard to cultivate. The design team’s reconfiguration of the way a bank is set up results in a space that’s both highly functional and soothing to experience.