Arvest Branch Takes LEED

Though it controls 33 percent of the market share in Washington County deposits, leaders at Arvest Bank-Fayetteville decided they don’t have enough green.

Green, as in sustainable eco-friendly green.

The bank has always embraced the concept of building efficiently, but it will take the idea even further with its planned 8,080-SF branch on Joyce Boulevard in Fayetteville, set for completion at the end of 2008.

The extra steps are intended to bring the building to the level of “certified” according to the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design benchmark.

It will be Arvest’s first such branch.

Officials won’t say if every new branch will be green or not, but the bank, which has about $9.33 billion in assets, is “in the process now of reviewing how we can best incorporate other sustainable strategies in our branches,” said Kelly Sutterfield, head of Arvest’s architectural management office and a member of the American Institute of Architects.

Final costs for the new branch won’t be available until bids for the project are in toward the end of this year, but the bank’s standard branch prototypes range between $750,000 and $2 million.

The prototypes vary in size from 1,800 SF to 8,080 SF.

For a bank that builds an average of 12 branches a year, and takes on about that many major branch renovations annually, these cost-saving measures could have a huge impact.

Along with environmental concerns, LEED buildings are also designed to have lower operating costs and increased asset values, with some qualifying for tax rebates.

The bottom line is a definite factor in the recent decision, and Arvest will be looking into any possible tax incentives as well.

But overall, the bank’s move “isn’t so much about saving money, as it is just the right thing to do,” said Donny Story, president of Arvest Bank-Fayetteville.

The decision to build a new prototype to LEED standards isn’t all about energy savings either. A major motivation is to increase productivity and to create a very livable environment for both customers and associates, Sutterfield said.

 

LEED by Example

There was no tipping point for the decision to pursue LEED certification. It’s been a very natural transition, because the bank’s established building practices were already very close to meeting LEED standards, Story said.

Building efficiently can take a little longer than traditional construction methods and can cost more upfront. For example, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning units the bank has used since 2001cost more, but consume less energy and save money over the long term.

There are 69 points possible in six areas for LEED certification of new construction and major renovation projects. These include site sustainability, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation, and design process.

The four levels of LEED standards include certified, the level Arvest is seeking for the new Fayetteville branch, which requires 26-32 points; silver, requiring 33-38 points; gold, with 39-51 points necessary; and platinum, which requires 52-69 points.

Arvest’s leaders have identified three areas in which improvements can be made to reach LEED standards, including site issues such as landscaping, use of daylight and water issues.

Because of the nature of these changes, along with the fact that Arvest has been pursuing efficient construction for several years, the new prototype building won’t look drastically different than some of the bank’s other branches.

“The foundation has already been laid for us to be aggressive in building in a green way,” Sutterfield said.

Water efficiency makes up five possible points toward LEED certification, including use reduction, landscaping and innovative wastewater technologies.

The Joyce branch will implement a system to collect rainwater for irrigation use, while the parking lot will feature a permeable paving material that will allow excess rainwater to be absorbed by the ground underneath.

These two factors will lessen the impact on the city’s water infrastructure and reduce the need for water detention sites, a move that could pave the way for more parking spaces.

Rainwater collection won’t mean customers will see spouts leading to a 60-gallon drum outside of the new branch. The water will be collected and stored internally. And though there probably won’t be enough collected to cover all of the site’s irrigation needs, every bit counts when it comes to saving on water bills.

Another possible site-oriented change could be a shift toward using native species in landscaping. Native plants are those that are considered indigenous to an area and are not invasive, according to the USGBC.

In addition to using more skylights, photosensitive cells will be implemented to detect the amount of sunlight coming in and adjust the level of fluorescent lights accordingly.

Highly reflective roofing tiles are another step Arvest has taken to make bank branches more energy efficient.

 

Due Diligence

Construction practices aren’t the only efficient thing about Arvest branches.

“One of the biggest elements [of sustainability] is that even our buildings are recyclable,” Sutterfield said.

The buildings Arvest constructs – from the smallest drive-through only structure all the way up to the largest market headquarters – are all modular, meaning they can be expanded to accommodate future growth.

The bank always builds with an eye toward the future, and usually purchases more land than is needed for a particular branch. This is why the site selection process is very careful and well researched, Story said.

After much deliberation between bank leaders, it was decided that the old Joyce Boulevard location would not be expanded. But the structure won’t be demolished; it will be the new home to a WACO Title branch, a company that is owned by Arvest Bank Group Inc.

Traffic flow is another big concern for the bank. Brent Vinson, site and planning coordinator for the architecture office, prepares extensive schematics for each new branch on ingress, egress and stacking – how cars line up for drive-through lanes.

Safety is the primary motivation for this, but customer convenience is also an important consideration. The current Joyce branch is one of the bank’s busiest, with 41,000 teller transactions each month, as reported in April by the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.

The new branch will employ between 30 and 35 associates.

Another aspect of Vinson’s job is to conduct extensive research on the specifications and environmental background of a possible location to “make sure that the site we’re getting would meet our prototypical design standards,” he said.

 

Architectural Assets

In 2000, Arvest formed an internal architecture division, and hired Sutterfield to staff the department. Since then, the architectural management office has grown to include a staff of five.

This gives the bank a distinct advantage over competitors, Story said, adding that not many banks have such an in-house group.

Each member of the team is in the process of earning LEED certification in a different area of specialization. This will add to the department’s overall expertise in several different areas, such as new construction and retrofitting for old buildings.

Mikel Lolley is the construction coordinator, dealing with subcontractors and designers.

Angey Lyons is the interior design and purchasing coordinator. Vinson deals with site issues and has experience with grading, landscaping and new materials.

Rex Smith is the systems and equipment coordinator, and deals with buying agreements and bank equipment.

So far, the bank’s new direction for the Joyce Boulevard branch hasn’t changed Vinson’s job drastically. The main focus at this point is doing the research for LEED certification, he said.