First Bank Regional Headquarters

Location

Raleigh, NC

Market Sectors

  • Commercial
  • Corporate Interiors

Sub Sectors

  • Adaptive Reuse
  • Bank/Financial institution
  • Headquarters
  • Infrastructure - Building/Site Utilities
  • Parking - Surface
  • Retail
  • Workplace/Office

Client

First Bank

Partners

  • Gensler
  • Stewart Engineering
  • Optima Engineering

Creating a community bank with an old-school commitment to hospitality in a modern, state-of-the-art space

When First Bank was planning their new regional headquarters, they wanted the space to reflect the company’s approach to providing financial expertise in the same personal, trusted way that has been the institution’s hallmark since its founding. Their goal was to build a private boutique model in the Raleigh market, which had become the largest organically grown location among First Bank’s branches nationwide. Located just south of the North Hills neighborhood, the three-story, 20,000 square foot building was situated on the site to balance visibility and ease of use. Its clear glass façade advertises the vibrant mood inside the building – like a living billboard.   

20,000
Square Feet
Ground-up
Three Story Building
Private, Boutique-style
Bank Branch
Employee-engaged
Workplace
Extensive
Sitework
First Bank selected the site of a former SunTrust bank branch just south of the North Hills neighborhood, which was demolished to make way for a new, eye-catching design.
First Bank’s dedication to the customer experience is evident in the layout of the branch space. Glass front offices and an open floor plan ensure no visitor or customer goes unseen or unserved by First Bank staff.
While the first floor is home to the Bank’s private, customer-focused branch, the upper two levels are where employees call home, with private offices and meeting spaces, a rooftop terrace, and other employee-centric amenities.
The project included extensive sitework to make way for the new building and prep for installing site utilities, a video-enabled drive-thru ATM, a customer-only private parking lot, and all-new landscaping and hardscaping.

Making an architectural statement

The architecture of the Gensler-designed building captures the bank’s straightforward approach to customer service through its simplicity of form. The highly transparent façade not only welcomes visitors into the ground-level, public-facing branch but also communicates openness and hospitality. The bank’s forward-thinking operational strategy is embodied through the building’s high-performance glazing system and its intuitive organization, making it highly functional and easy to navigate for customers and staff.

Side Story

The Barringer Way

Despite Covid, we topped out!

During construction, the COVID pandemic hit the City of Raleigh hard (as well as the whole world), but in true Barringer fashion, our team of “essential workers” persevered by implementing site-specific processes, procedures, and requirements aimed at safeguarding all workers who entered our jobsite. Such measures included temperature checks, face masks, hand washing stations, and social distancing signage. These efforts contributed to the team’s decision to still hold a traditional topping-out event (despite COVID!) for the owner, project team, and trade partners to celebrate the major construction milestone (of course, we were at a safe distance, outdoors, adorned in face masks!).

A concierge-like retail feel by design

The branch space is warm and welcoming, with an illuminated wood-finished wall, ample natural light, and comfortable furniture. Other amenities, like meeting spaces and an area for coffee and water, are also close at hand for customers. Embracing more progressive retail design strategies, First Bank created a concierge-like feel, replacing the traditional teller line with individual teller pods. Banking mainstays, such as check-writing stations, were included in simpler forms to avoid customer confusion.

Enhancing employee engagement in the workplace

With the first floor taking care of the customer experience, the building’s upper levels are dedicated to enhancing employee engagement and house First Bank’s regional leadership as well as the lending, mortgage, wealth management, and insurance groups. Private offices are provided for all employees, but their glass-front walls foster connectivity between employees, the individual workspaces, and the floor’s more open, shared amenities. Various size conference rooms, a café-style break room, and a second-story rooftop terrace also encourage employee engagement.

“First Bank is an inclusive company, and this new space allows us to flex those muscles each and every day. We have strong engagement and excitement around a culture that you just will not find typical in banking. With its outdoor spaces, inviting interiors, and ample meeting spaces, this office promotes financial wellness and goals conversations with customers, as well as satisfaction among associates.”

— Travis Bailey, Regional Executive, Senior Vice President, First Bank