Bank Iowa

A New Nod to the Old

APMA worked to design a new branch for Bank Iowa that captured the institution’s modern and progressive culture, while remaining contextually sensitive to the historic downtown. The team tackled two main challenges: working in the tight confines of a downtown site (with a heavy slope and next to a historic building), and marrying the client’s desire for modern design with the neighborhood’s desire for more traditional elements. A brick parapet and reveal coping detail is a nod to the historic architecture of the area, with large glazed corner storefront and cantilevering glass canopy creating a modern corner. The use of dark metal panel and large glass expanses elsewhere also contributed to the building’s more modern aesthetic.