601 5th Avenue

The Anchorage earthquake in 2018 caused structural damage to the 601 W 5th Ave building, formerly a regional bank headquarters. The owner took this opportunity to fully modernize the 50-year-old building with major structural upgrades and a partial recladding with high-performance triple-glazed curtain wall, in the process creating additional tenant space on each floor for a total of 40,000 new square feet of new space. In this transformative process, the building was re-sculpted to create a dynamic form inspired by local natural ice formations and to preserve and enhance the corner plaza adjacent to the Convention Center, Performing Arts Building, and civic park.

By investing in adaptive reuse, this project reduced 77% demolition waste and 60% embodied carbon comparing to the otherwise demolition- rebuild model, a great contribution in response to the climate crisis we are facing. The increase in floor areas provides greater opportunity to plan and design workspaces for flexible and open interior environments. Designed by Perkins & Will.