M&T Bank Opens New Signature Branch

M&T Bank officially opened its newest branch at Southgate Plaza in West Seneca, New York, this week, the first branch built with a contemporary new design by Pentagram Partner Lorenzo Apicella serving as a model for future branch construction and renovation.

The new 9100 sq ft building was constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards (LEED) established by the U.S. Green Building Council and will soon be LEED registered. LEED is a rating system distinguishing high-performance buildings with less impact on the environment. The project was designed by Apicella and his team in San Francisco and London. Local AOR’s were HHL and Kideney.

One of the primary architectural elements of the new building is a colonnade inspired by the iconic M&T Plaza building in downtown Buffalo designed by Minoru Yamasaki.

Features of the new branch design include:

- Extensive use of natural light with three large skylights in the central banking hall.

- Interior lighting using a combination of fluorescent lamps, ceramic metal halide lamps, and light emitting diodes (LED’s). Light sensors monitor sunlight levels and dim the artificial lighting in spaces with sufficient sunlight.

- Heating provided by 97% efficient gas-fired hot water boilers.

- An automated control system constantly monitoring heating, cooling and ventilation, using carbon dioxide monitoring to control fresh air ventilation and a “free-cooling” mode that draws in cool air at night to pre-cool the building.

- Exterior walls made with a highly insulated, recyclable steel panel system.

“This new design language is deliberately more contemporary and expressive than M&T’s previous branch architecture,” says Apicella. “Its inspiration, however comes from the architecture of numerous enduring financial institutions.”

Plans are already under way to build at least three other new branch buildings to Southgate Plaza’s design.