Opening Day: Money isn’t all that’s green at new Skokie bank

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LuAnn Stemple, manager of the new First Bank & Trust branch in Skokie, talks with people at last week's grand opening. The bank's latest home is an unprecedented eco-friendly building. | Rob Dicker~Sun-Times Media

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Updated: January 16, 2012 8:21AM

A village trustee not long ago wondered out loud whether Skokie should place a moratorium on new banks being built in the village.

Whether joking or not, he made the comment to reflect that a plethora of proposals for new bank branches had come before the Village Board in recent times, one as indistinguishable as the next.

That description though hardly applies to the new First Bank & Trust branch building that opened last week at 4007 Dempster St.

It’s a small and cozy little building near Dempster and Crawford Avenue, but it’s unlike any bank building that the village — or even the area — has yet seen. The building could eventually be viewed as standing at the forefront of a wave of new environmentally friendlier commercial buildings.

“We really started with this whole thing in 2007,” said Joan Yohanan, corporate secretary and administrative officer of First Bank & Trust. “I learned a huge amount because we’ve never built a bank like this before. If we do it again, I have a lot more knowledge now.”

The branch office, which occupies only 3,600 square feet, cost as much as 10 or 15 percent more than a standard bank, officials acknowledge. But First Bank & Trust is certain to save money as time goes by because of the way it has been constructed.

And this bank could afford the extra upfront costs.

Unlike many banks, First Bank & Trust has not been crippled by the sour economy, having taken a pass on the subprime markets and other riskier dealings.

“We didn’t have to take any money from the government so we didn’t have to pay any of that back,” she said. “We were conservative at the time all those people were making money from real estate.”

Her husband, President and CEO Robert Yohanan, had no interest in real estate and now, says his wife, he looks like a genius.

“So we had the money and we thought this was a good time to do it,” she said. “We thought it was important to build a bank like this.”

A 2,200 square-foot green roof containing a dozen small plants with a storm water capacity of 3,956 gallons and soil depth of 6 inches will be added to the bank in spring, the figurative and literal topping to the project.

Jennifer Smith of Live Roof said that installing a green roof could double or even triple the life expectancy of the roof. A green roof covers 66 percent of the roof area of the building, reducing the urban heat island effect of conventional roofing systems. A display of the roof was on hand at the grand opening.

Yohanan said one of the most eco-friendly components of the new building is geo-thermal heating, which extracts energy embedded in the earth, allowing for a 25 percent reduction in energy from non-renewable resources.

The bank branch uses energy-efficient light fixtures and efficient water plumbing to reduce potable water by 42 percent.

Twenty percent or so of all building materials were obtained from recycled sources, 20 percent from regional sources within 500 miles with 90 percent of all construction waste recycled.

All paints, coatings, sealants and floorings used in the building are low-emitting, creating a healthier work environment for building occupants, officials say.

Other building features include an insulated tile rain screen exterior made from 40 percent recycled material and providing better thermal and moisture conditions for interior spaces. Large floor-to-ceiling windows and high clerestory windows are aimed at bringing ample sunlight into the building.

“I’m sure more buildings are to go this way in the future,” Yohanan said. “Or they’ll at least try to do things that are more eco-friendly.”

First Bank & Trust opened its first branch 15 years ago in Evanston and has since expanded with four branches in Evanston, one in Skokie, one in Itasca and one in Winnetka.

Skokie is a logical home for its eighth branch and the first eco-friendly one considering the village has aggressively promoted environmentally-friendly practices.

The bank is in line to earn a gold rating by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Skokie’s police headquarters that opened last year was the first public building in the village to receive such a rating.

“Anybody who tells you that economic development and green are incompatible — tell them to come here,” said Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen at last week’s grand opening. “This demonstrates you can have good balance sheets, be green and promote economic development all at the same time.”

Robert Yohanan said the project called for substantial cleanup on the property, but the bank was determined to make it work.

“We thought about it and we decided we wanted to make a go of it,” he said. “Fortunately, the bank was and continues to be in very, very strong financial condition so we could do it.”

Branch manager Lu Ann Stempel, who has been with First Bank & Trust for 13 years, was there when the doors opened for business last week for the first time.

Stempel lives in Skokie and says that being environmentally friendly has always been a part of her so it’s a perfect fit

“I enjoy walking and riding my bike and I’m glad to be able to do that to work now,” she said. “To me, this strikes me as being a natural extension of who I am. It’s exciting to be able to offer this to the community, which is always our top priority.”