Pentagram has worked with M&T Bank since 2008 to develop a distinctive brand language for the bank and its branches, to help set M&T apart from its competitors and to create a 360-degree experience of the brand. The architecture, interiors and wayfinding demonstrate the core values of M&T with a forward-looking design that communicates both openness and security.
Our six branches for M&T have ranged from the design of the entrance vestibule to the bank's headquarters in Buffalo, New York to an urban branch in Central Brooklyn. In 2012, Pentagram designed a new branch in Newburgh, New York. The branch is the sixth to be completed using our design language for M&T, testing its adaptability and visual impact across a wide spectrum of site types and branch sizes. Like M&T's other new branches, the building has been constructed to Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) standards.
Located on Route 9 in New York’s Hudson Valley, the 3,310-square-foot branch replaces a decades-old building. Like the other branches using our design, the façade features a distinctive white colonnade, partly inspired by M&T’s own iconic headquarters in downtown Buffalo, New York, designed by Minoru Yamasaki. The forms and rhythms of the colonnade are intended to recall a classical language of architecture familiar to banks and financial institutions over hundreds of years. The lightness of the colonnades provide a high degree of transparency, creating an inviting, approachable exterior.
Inside, branded interiors arranged around a central circular skylight communicate the customer-oriented spirit of M&T’s personality. The circular layout energizes the space and helps create an atmosphere of accessible, attentive service.
Constructed to LEED standards, the branch has a low-carbon footprint and consumes as little energy as possible. Heating and cooling is provided by a geothermal design with an energy-recovery unit, and all glazing contains coatings that reduce solar heat gain. The building’s skin is clad with a highly insulated panel system that contains up to 70 percent recycled content. An automated control system monitors heating, cooling and ventilation.
Natural light is used extensively, from the glass perimeter walls to the large skylight in the middle of the banking hall. Interior lighting uses a combination of fluorescent lamps, ceramic metal halide lamps and LEDs, and light sensors monitor sunlight levels and adjust the artificial lighting in areas with sufficient daylight.
