The new 400,000 square-foot Zions Bank technology campus and its LEED Platinum designation makes quite a statement without knowing the backstory. The site started out as the Sharon Steel EPA-designated Superfund site, and it has been successfully remediated after years of effort. The new building is built to reduce emissions, conserve energy, and generate 75 percent of its own electricity use through 2,000 solar panels. I see the project both as a celebration for restoring the land and a demonstration of a commitment for a better future.
Photos by Scot Zimmerman
The new campus replaces 11 separate buildings that Zions had been using, and the consolidation is anticipated to cut energy use by 15 percent. Air is replaced every 75 minutes for a healthy, invigorating interior involvement.
The building enlisted a strong team of professionals. I made these photographs for Okland Construction. Also on the construction team are Layton Construction and the Gardner Company, construction manager. WRNS Studios is the architect and Method Studio completed the interior design.
The Murray location is central in the Salt Lake Valley and it enjoys good access. It is also accessible by cyclists taking the Jordan River pathway, and it is a short walk from the Gardner Village light rail station. There is plentiful vehicle parking in the large lot with some covered spaces with solar panels on the shade structures and a connected multi-level parking garage. There are 181 electric vehicle charging stations in the lot and garage.
In the photo above, the employee cafeteria is on the left, the glassed area with an angled cantilevered roof. Surrounding it is outdoor patio seating. Other employee amenities include a raised-bed community garden, basketball courts, pickleball courts, shareable e-bikes, bike lockers, and a connecting pathway to the river pathway.
This photo looks down to the stairway in the cafeteria.
Looking up the cafeteria stairway, you can appreciate the warm invitation that the wooden stairway makes heightened by the wood in the ceiling. The seating on the stairway is well used. I saw people enjoying some solo time with their meal, catching a private conversation, and just finding a comfortable perch during a break.
The west side of the building, the less public side, looks out on the Jordan River. The community gardens are on this side, just to the left of the building.
This view of where the forms converge is also on the west side. I really find artistry where individual elements come together with balance, harmony, and tension all in play.
The tree above the first level is on the patio I show next.
The tree will grow to shade this long private patio protected by the wind.
The challenge of photographing this project is the size. I felt it important to show the relationship of the elements and how the building works as a whole, while at the same time showing the choices in materials, the elements integral to the building’s performance, and the beauty of the design.
You can discover more inspiring office buildings here!
