ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — Perkins&Will, a global architecture firm, in partnership with an Alaska-based developer, has designed the $30 million modernization and expansion of 601 W. 5th Avenue, formerly the KeyBank Plaza Building located in downtown Anchorage.
Originally constructed in 1972 by Alaska Mutual Savings Bank, the nine-story property required extensive structural repairs as a result of the region’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake in November 2018. In addition to seismic reinforcements, the nine-story building will undergo an external transformation into a sleek, glacier-like office building, paying homage to Alaska’s natural wonders.
The reimagined property will feature an additional 40,000-square-foot sloped façade that reconfigures the building to resemble a glacier. Floor-to-ceiling windows will replace the existing precast concrete cladding to allow for maximum natural light. The redesign also includes radiant heating, six new skylights and drought-tolerant native plants.
The building will be retrofitted with significant interior improvements, including the replacement of all mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems; construction of a new stair tower; modernization of the elevators; and installation of a freight elevator.