PE Reporter Features Blue Chip Federal Credit Union on Cover
August 5, 2010
Southeast view of front of facility from Derry and Hebron Streets, Harrisburg; photo by Lori Stahl(Harrisburg, Pa.) The winter 2010 issue of the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers’ (PSPE’s) quarterly magazine, PE Reporter, features the Blue Chip Federal Credit Union (FCU) project as its cover and feature story. The article, titled “Responsible Renovation – A Study in Sustainability: Renovation of the Blue Chip Federal Credit Union,” illustrates why building new is not always best. Ganflec Architects and Engineers, the architectural affiliate of Gannett Fleming, designed this project, which is located in Harrisburg, Pa.
While the credit union had resided at its current location since 1985, the building was built in 1961 and did not lend itself to a member-service operation. When the Blue Chip FCU Board of Directors determined that the credit union had outgrown its existing facility and needed to expand, several options were considered.
In addition to being the most sustainable, the addition and renovation option was also the least costly. Interestingly, the credit union saved approximately 40 to 45 percent in total costs by choosing to renovate. The existing building’s outdated interior layout and finishes were replaced and integrated with the new addition. Its envelope performance was also addressed, along with its accessibility deficiencies. This direction did not require acquisition of a new site, and the owner was able to maintain operations during construction.
Multiple architectural enhancements and sustainable features were incorporated as part of this project. For example, as a result of the renovation’s significantly reduced construction costs – as compared to the price of new construction – the project team was able to incorporate high-end materials, such as a regionally quarried natural stone veneer and an exposed, stained wood roof-ceiling structure. In addition, the credit union’s new tree plantings, reflective roofing, and selective elimination of existing paving reduce the heat island effect and air conditioning loads.
Interestingly, the Blue Chip FCU’s historic ties to the rail industry played an important role in its design. As a tribute, the addition is an abstraction of a rail station and platform.
Ganflec provided a variety of services for this project, including a feasibility study, zoning variance application, design concept, 3-D modeling, construction documents, and construction administration-phase services.
For more information, please contact Judy L. Hricak at (717) 763-7211, ext. 2624 or via e-mail.
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