When Discovery Federal Credit Union wanted to transform the way they serve customers, a comprehensive renovation of their Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, branch was the answer. With DBSI on board, our past experience with the design-build firm helped us earn the contract to update the 3,700-square-foot space.
Keeping the bank operational was essential throughout construction. We broke our work into three phases, created a temporary lobby and relocated employee areas depending on where we were working at any given time. This also meant that our crews had to keep the job site clean and minimize any debris.
Phases one and two included selective demolition, renovations to the offices and training room, a reconfiguration of the branch layout, and installation of new carpet, lights, paint and ceiling tiles. Crews also removed the outdated
high-density filing system and repaired the walls and flooring in that area. Phase three included installation of a new teller space, a self-service kiosk, sidewalks, terrazzo flooring in the lobby and finishes throughout.
Though terrazzo flooring is more commonly used in schools and hospitals, it has high durability and endless design opportunities, making it the perfect flooring choice for this project as the lobby will feature Discovery’s logo, a golden butterfly. To accomplish this with the terrazzo flooring, our team had to hire a subcontractor certified through the National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association, to complete the work. The zinc strips that formed the butterfly outline were bent off-site, the trailer grating was installed in the floor, and the butterfly was placed and welded to the grating.
The golden terrazzo, made up of aggregate and epoxy, was mixed and carefully hand-poured with a margin trowel into the small openings of the zinc strips that formed the butterfly. To ensure the golden terrazzo wouldn’t spread where grey terrazzo would eventually be poured, the team had to tape off those areas. This process was repeated to pour the remainder of the flooring, then diamond-ground, polished and topped with a sealant. Altogether, the flooring took six days to complete, and this was the only time we needed to close the bank throughout the renovation. While the flooring was the only work to affect the bank’s schedule, long-lead times and material shortages created challenges for our schedule. To combat this, our team ordered materials as early as possible, or found substitutes for materials that weren’t available or wouldn’t arrive in time.
Despite these challenges, we completed our work by December 2021. The transformation from a traditional branch to one that allows members to choose how they are serviced is thanks to an expanded lobby, additional service spots,
employee offices, a self-service kiosk, and a sound resistant room for the coin-counting machine.
