The Observer Media Group Inc. respects your privacy and values ​​our relationship with you. We use technology to collect information that helps us enhance your experience and our products and services. The cookies we use help us understand which information and advertisements are most useful and valuable. Please take a moment to review our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy. By clicking "Accept", you agree to our use of cookies and similar technologies.

Project: Expansion of Climate First Bank

Location: 1150 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park

Designer/builder: The Collage Cos.

Project details: St. Petersburg-based Climate First Bank made its debut in June and has begun to expand its footprint, choosing Winter Park as its next branch. This will be a net-zero, carbon-neutral building, running on solar energy provided by panels attached to the roof, walls and even windows.  

The founder and CEO Ken LaRoe is from nearby Eustis and hopes to bring his green bank brand back to Winter Park, which has been the location of First Green Bank, LaRoe's previous banking company, until the merger with Seacoast Bank in 2018. To this end, LaRoe turned to a familiar company: The Collage Cos. The design/build company is headquartered in Lake Mary and is a long-term member of the U.S. Green Building Council and built First Green Bank, which meets the highest leadership design (LEED) standards in the energy and environment fields to achieve "retail platinum" status.

"When it comes to'green materials', Ken is very active," said Keith Kolakowski, the pre-construction manager of Collage Cos. "He wants to disrupt the banking system by doing what he is doing."

Since the Winter Park branch is an adaptive reuse project—reconstruction of an existing office building—not a new one, Kolakovsky said Collage’s goal is to earn LEED gold. In addition, with the development of building standards and practices, it has become more difficult to obtain platinum status.

"LEED is the industry standard," he explained. "Every year, they have to move the goalposts because the climate crisis is accelerating. Five years ago you used to get a lot of LEED scores, such as decent insulation and double-insulated windows, and are now building norms."

In addition to interior decoration and upgrades, the project will also include electric vehicle charging stations and "Florida-friendly" landscapes that require little irrigation. "If we need to do any irrigation," Kolakowski said, "it is drip irrigation or low-flow irrigation."

Cool factor: the bank will have transparent solar panel windows. Yes, you're not mistaken.

"The solar wall system is unique," Kolakowski said. "You don't usually see vertical applications. We will install translucent solar panels in front of the windows."

Kolakowski said that the LEED standard has developed to a point where the quality of life is also crucial, which is why he and his team must solve the problem of how to get enough natural light into the building. "You can have a super energy-efficient building, but if your employees are in the dark or under fluorescent lights, they won't be very happy," he said.

The collage uses aluminum, an easily recyclable material, to make cabinets and countertops in buildings. In addition to being a renewable resource, the aluminum element will also adopt modular and prefabricated designs. "In terms of carbon footprint, this is more effective than a customized case built on site."

Other material benefits for employees and customers include “green walls” covered with vegetation, noise reduction, and MERV 13 air filtration-one of the highest standards available. In addition, water saving is the top priority, and there are low-flow toilets and urinals in the bathroom.

Challenge: Kolakowski said that the solar wall is by far the biggest challenge in the design process. "This is a great and exciting idea," he said, "but as for the actual structural impact, we had to involve a structural engineer on the project, which is not always necessary for interior decoration. I mean, you can’t just put these things on the wall. They need a substructure."

The Collage team found a solution on the steel back panel to fix the panels to the walls and windows. But installing solar panels on the windows caused another challenge-LaRoe himself faced a challenge.

"When I visited a work site with him a few years ago, one thing that impressed me was that he saw a candy wrapper on the ground about 20 yards away. I was talking to him, but he just walked. Go and pick it up," Kolakowski said. "He is a very'clean' person. He likes clean spaces."

He added, “So we’re talking about the solar wall installed in front of the windows, and we thought, “Once it’s built, you can’t hide behind this system.” Ken said, “I must be able to clean those windows.”

Kolakowski told LaRoe that he could only endure the inaccessible window.

"He was like,'No, this is unacceptable. I need a solution. I need to be able to get back there.'"

The collage team worked together and came up with a way to integrate a storefront door into the system, which opens inward to clean the windows and remove leaves and debris.

"This is an interesting story that highlights Ken's quirks, but he has a legitimate concern," Kolakovsky said. "You must be able to clean the windows."

The Cool Construction problem, as it sounds, is to delve into the more unique projects being built in the area-this is obviously an unusual period. Click the links below to learn more about the coolest content:

Want to know the main players in the regional business? Looking for unique Gulf Coast network, marketing and research resources? It is in this year's Big Book of Business.