Cuningham Group Architecture Offices – Phoenix
Cuningham Group Architecture designed their new offices in the spring of this year, located in Phoenix, Arizona.
Cuningham Group leased and restored the historic Farmers & Stockmens Bank building and made the Mid-Century Modern landmark its new Phoenix office. The building, at 5001 E. Washington Street was designed by the internationally famous architectural team of Pereira & Luckman in 1951. It is certified a historic structure by the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office. Cuningham Group completed interior renovations this year.
The Farmers & Stockmen’s Bank is one of just two Phoenix structures by William Leonard Pereira. The architect is famous for the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, the masterplan for the City of Irvine, and (with Paul Williams and Welton Becket) the jet-age “Theme Building” at Los Angeles International Airport.
“For a firm such as ours that deeply respects good design, it is an honor to make this landmark our home,” said Cuningham Group Principal Nabil Abou-Haidar, AIA. “There is a clean-lined simplicity to the building that remains attractive to this day. It is certainly an approach we bring forward in contemporary architecture for our clients, and in our other offices around the world.”
One of its most stunning features is the mezzanine which looked over the original bank lobby. This clean, open box provided an excellent separate space for work stations, meeting space and an enclosed glass box used for client meetings.
Another dramatic feature is the “donut-shaped” bank vault – seen as the distinctive, round, stone-clad wall on the exterior.
It’s a long, curved room we have broken into different spaces,” said Abou-Haidar. “The historic vault door will stay in place. The stone-walled room is completely solid, with no windows, although the City did allow us to add tubular skylights to bring light through the roof.”
Design: Cuningham Group Architecture
Photography: CAPSPHOTO International
