Giattina Aycock Architecture Studio Commercial Projects

FIRST COMMERCIAL BANK
CAHABA HEIGHTS

Tucked into a north-facing slope outside Birmingham, this building uses glass, brick and stacked granite rubble to create a unified shell for its two discrete users:  a retail bank and the corporate office of a video chain.

The bank serves as the building’s anchor and commercial face from the road with a transparent, double height lobby.  The building extends into the site as a long, simple glass box that is wrapped, sliced, framed and defined by brick planes and rubble walls.

Taking cues from the site, the building opens to the north with broad views downhill, and closes to the south, where existing trees and hillside offer shade from the summer sun.  Building orientation, together with external shade devices and photocell lighting control, reduces the building’s energy consumption by roughly 40 percent over a typical building of its size.

Through a combination of basic environmental concepts and simple, layered geometries, this building offers its occupants both transparency and efficiency.

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Giattina Aycock's Education Portfolio
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Giattina Aycock's Medical Portfolio
Giattina Aycock's Commercial Portfolio
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