BancFirst Tower

[Jake]

Such an improvement! Can't wait to see it when it's finished.

[Buzzer]

An internal release to BancFirst employees, minus some small department details that shouldn't be public:

Phase I work on the Lobby and Plaza (north ¾) and Underground (entire Underground) area began in October 2019 and is scheduled to be completed on January 4, 2021.

Phase I – NORTH ¾ OUTDOOR PLAZA

• The outdoor plaza surrounding the Tower will include landscaping with plants capable of thriving in an urban environment. Agronomists from the Myriad Gardens assisted with selection of plant materials.

• A new pergola-covered outdoor seating area will be added to the east side of the plaza, including an area for food trucks.

• Valet service will be added at the north entrance for both bank customers and tenant customers.

Phase I - NORTH ¾ of LOBBY

• The north side first floor lobby will include a security desk with a prominent Oklahoma art piece; teller kiosks; offices for business bankers and support staff; and a 24 hour ATM with a separate exterior entrance.

• Those familiar with the previous food service options will see a new Petro Deli in the northeast corner of the lobby with seating for 50. A separate coffee bar will serve specialized coffee, include a pastry case, and bar-height seating.

Phase I - UNDERGROUND

• The Hot Tamale Mexican Café in the Underground will have a total new look but will serve the same great menu.

• The Executive Barbershop under our existing building will move with us and be adjacent to the Hot Tamale.

• Included in the Underground plan are teller kiosks, a contract US Post Office, safe deposit boxes, and offices for Universal Bankers.

• A large BancFirst employee lounge will be added to the Underground where fresh and healthy food options will be available, as well as sodas and snacks. Restaurant style tables and chairs will be available in addition to areas of comfortable seating.

Phase II – LOBBY AND PLAZA

• Work on the remaining south portion of the Lobby and Plaza will commence upon completion of Phase I with an estimated completion in July 2021.

• The south side of the lobby will be occupied by Red Earth with both a retail presence and museum quality art display/rotation area.

BANCFIRST FLOORS 2-14

• Demolition and renovation of the BancFirst occupied floors 2 through 14 is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. The exception to this plan is the 2nd floor which will be completed by July 2021, at the same time as Phase II of the Lobby and Plaza.

REPLACEMENT OF TOWER GLASS

• Replacement of all of the exterior glass on the Tower has begun on the north side of the building. Glass will be replaced on 4-14, one side at time with estimated completion at the end of 2020. The glass on floors 1 and 2 will be done in conjunction with Phase I and II of the Lobby, Plaza and Underground.

• Glass replacement will then move to floor 15 and work up to the 36th floor, one side at a time, with the completion of the glass scheduled by the end of 2021.

[Pete]

^

Awesome.

Incredibly helpful.

[Pete]

They are finishing up the windows 14th floor on the north side.

Will be interesting to see which side they do next. Sounds like they will replace glass up to the 14th floor on every side before moving on to the upper levels.

[Bellaboo]

I was down there around 1 pm last Saturday and they were installing the glass.

[catch22]

They are finishing up the windows 14th floor on the north side.

Will be interesting to see which side they do next. Sounds like they will replace glass up to the 14th floor on every side before moving on to the upper levels.

Is there a reason behind this? Does the structure of the building change on the 15th floor requiring a different production run of pre-fab windows? Or is it so they can only disturb tenants on the 14th and lower floors "once" and not 4 different times as they complete each face?

[David]

I'm a little bit disappointed they're going to do the bottom half of the building first, I was hoping for a real world before and after picture with one side finished right next to one side that isn't.

[BoulderSooner]

Is there a reason behind this? Does the structure of the building change on the 15th floor requiring a different production run of pre-fab windows? Or is it so they can only disturb tenants on the 14th and lower floors "once" and not 4 different times as they complete each face?

lower 14 are the bank first offices ..

[Pete]

lower 14 are the bank first offices ..

Right, their priority is to get the BancFirst space ready on floors 2-14 so they can make the move over.

Then, they will start working on the top.

[GoldFire]

[5alive]

Almost there...on that side

[ChaseDweller]

Right, their priority is to get the BancFirst space ready on floors 2-14 so they can make the move over.

Then, they will start working on the top.

Sucks for us though. We have multiple window leaks up here on 28 and 29.

[Southsider2]

Here's what it could look like if they added an antenna/spire. Looks slightly reminiscent of Renaissance Tower in Dallas. They're obviously not planning on doing this but if they ever did it would help bridge the height gap between it and Devon Tower.

[Pete]

BANCFIRST TOWER RENOVATIONS PROGRESS TOWARD JANUARY MOVE-IN
BY MOLLY M. FLEMING / DEVELOPMENT / JUNE 19, 2020



Construction on the future home of BancFirst is looking a little blue these days, but that’s a sign of progress.

The tower’s curtain wall is being replaced all the way to the fourteenth floor. BancFirst will occupy floors 2-14. Once the bank and its operations move in, then the glass replacement will continue for the rest of the building.

“We plan to start moving people in January 2021 at this point,” said David Harlow, BancFirst Corporation CEO. “We’ve been able to continue construction through the coronavirus pandemic.”

The glass has even been able to be replaced as people are working in the space.

The building is being done in phases, with Phase 1 consisting of the concourse, 80% of the plaza and the first floor. By December 2021, the rest of the building will be complete. When the north side of the plaza gets finished, then the south entrance will be closed so the renovation can continue there.

[img]https://www.velocityokc.com/clientuploads/directory/super_blog/Author/BFT_Night_1.jpg[/img[

BancFirst is working with its longtime architect, Bockus Payne & Associates, on the renovation plans for the tower’s exterior, the concourse in the tunnel, the lobby and the exterior plaza. The BP&A team includes Collin Fleck, Bruce Bockus, Bruce DeFriese, Taylor Starr and Mathew Siebert.

ADG designed BancFirst’s office floors, with the building’s other floors already having tenant renovations throughout the years. Lingo Construction Services, Inc. is overseeing bringing all those designs to life.

Besides the new glass, another notable difference already made to the building is the removal of some exterior columns. Bockus Payne Architect Collin Fleck said one of the main goals was to create a better view from the exterior into the lobby.

“Visibility was almost nonexistent between the interior and the exterior,” said Fleck.

The team learned what could be possible to help with visibility on a trip to the concourse in the tunnel. Fleck said when the team went to the concourse, they noticed there were not as many columns downstairs as they were around the building. That meant only the columns seen in the concourse were load-bearing, so the others could be removed.



With the columns gone and better glass, more natural light will stream into the renovated lobby. The natural light will be seen in the concourse as well, streaming through peaked-glass light boxes called lanterns. The walking path is being moved to go under the lanterns, which are being placed over existing openings.

Also at the top of the tower, the arches have been removed. Fleck said with the bottom arches being removed along with the columns, the arches at the top had to be removed as well so the building wouldn’t look as heavy. A new glass curtain wall will extend all the way to the top of the building, replacing metal panels that were previously in place.

At the tower’s base, the top three floors’ exteriors will have a metal finish, with tenant signage seen in the same metal.

“Essentially, we will have touched every exterior aspect of the tower,” Fleck said.



ADG, Interior Designer Angie Dickerson and her team are helping to create a space that BancFirst has never had before – space for every BancFirst employee.

ADG’s work first started by talking to many of the more than 400 people that are expected to move into the floors. Dickerson and her team asked the staff about who they work with frequently and who they need to be near.

“We had to figure out how to appropriately place departments adjacent to each other,” she said. “We wanted to make sure we were stacking them appropriately, while also keeping in mind the potential for growth. It was a big effort to try and sort through all the schematic phasing and planning. You don’t realize how many people it takes to make a bank work.”

The floors required a lot of demolition, with some spaces dating back to 1971 and other areas having layers of renovation.

Construction is underway now on the office spaces, starting at the 14th floor and working down. Each floor will have a fresh palette, making it an appealing place for employees.

“I really do think that freshness and natural light, with the open space, were a huge requirement throughout the project,” she said.



The space will be accented with pops of color, seen in the images being used from BancFirst’s painting-inspired commercials. The same art will be visible in the lobby, helping to connect the two areas.

“With Red Earth locating on the south side of the lobby, it will be great to have interesting art throughout the tower,” she said.

The project includes full modernization of all 14 elevators as well, with the first three elevators being completed soon. Harlow said he didn’t know there was so much to learn about elevators. The team hired an elevator consultant to direct them on what would best serve their needs.

Harlow said BancFirst will occupy about 90% of its space when the company moves its employees from two locations; the corporate headquarters at Main Street and Broadway Avenue downtown and the Technology and Operations Center near the Will Rogers World Airport. He said he doesn’t expect the company to be fully out of the Main and Broadway building until July 2021.

He commended the entire building team for being so diligent on the project. Price Edwards & Co. is handling the management and leasing for the building.

He said he’s looking forward to having all the corporate employees in one space. For him, it will be like a homecoming, since he started in the building when it was Liberty Bank Tower in 1986.

“I think it will be good to have us all under one roof,” he said. “I do believe there’s value in all of us being together. This gives us a long term home with room for expansion.”

[TheTravellers]

Wow, if anything describes model building owner/landlord, this is it, wish more were like them...

[Pete]

They have installed protective scaffolding over the south entrance; looks like the next section of glass will be replaced on that side of the building.

[Pete]

[David]

Wow, if anything describes model building owner/landlord, this is it, wish more were like them...

Local owner and owner occupied make for a nice combination.

[Pete]

They are finishing on the 14th floor of the north side today and then will start on the south facade, working bottom to the 14th level before doing the same on the east and west sides.

Then, they will return to the north side and start on 15, working their way to the top before moving on to the south then east and west.

[HFAA Alum]

I wonder if there's been any updates to this.

[Pete]

Glass starting to be installed on the north side of the lobby (first photo):

[bucktalk]

I think this is going to be such a huge improvement not only for the building alone but for the overall skyline view. Much needed!

[5alive]

Yes!^^^

[Anonymous.]

This worksite just got wrecked by the wind from these storms. Scaffolding and debris everywhere.

[Pete]

This worksite just got wrecked by the wind from these storms. Scaffolding and debris everywhere.

I had wondered about that.

That platform on the north side is high in the air and that area is a crazy wind tunnel on days far less turbulent than today.

Can you take and share some photos?