![IMG_0737[46]_EDIT_SKY](https://www.polkstanleywilcox.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_073746_EDIT_SKY.webp)
A new banking center for a growing regional bank positions itself as a glass pavilion sculpted lightly in the site, a strong figure among the monotony of typical interstate retail that while striking in form coalesces seamlessly with the moody skies and slow reflective nature of the southeast Arkansas, where the pines meet the Mississippi Delta.
Simmons wanted a building that was open visually, honest in function, unique to the region, and easy for customers to navigate. We knew Simmons’ desire for a quintessential regionalism need not reflect clichéd interpretations of comfortable “homes” with hipped roofs, classical columns and pediments that supposedly say regional, but are really mired in a southern past. They had two requirements: make the building design their sign, meaning make the design unique to them, and incorporate their signature LED lights that have become a hallmark of their larger buildings in the skyline of Little Rock.
Our solution is a uniquely personal architecture utilizing delta traits like deep shades, covered porches, and slatted screens, yet interpreted in a modern aesthetic reflective of the means and methods of modern banking, comfortable and open to all customers from the small farmer to the corporate executive. Public spaces are wrapped in glass under a sculpted roof that lifts above the more solid private programs beyond. Inspiration was drawn from delta agrarian structures, with clerestories lifting toward the sky and sunshade blades like barn slats to reduce heat gain and glare. The blades have integral lights within, transforming from shade to light by night. A key feature is a glass light monolith grounded in this place. The backlit glass and blades offer lighting opportunities to celebrate holidays and civic events as a gift to the community…and announcing Simmons Bank’s continued commitment to home.
