Century-Old Bank Enters 21st

CHALLENGE:San Francisco-based NicholsBooth Architects had quite a task before them: retrofit a former bank into a modern, LEED-certified headquarters of an eco-conscious entrepreneur—all without altering the appearance or architecture of the historic building. SOLUTION:Beyond the myriad of green systems, which include geothermal heating and cooling and tubular daylight skylights, the project also implemented 30kW of photovoltaic panels to produce non-grid power for the office. In attempting, as much as possible, to avoid altering the building’s appearance, the architects opted for a “top hat” of LSX solar modules from Lumos Solar. United Electrical Services installed the solar modules, which was designed by NicholsBooth Architects. The builder specified 120 LSX 250 clear backsheet modules. The racking system is the LSX Rail 1.0 and, of course, the custom canopy “top hat” structure. null