Lighting the Way for the Bank of the Future

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Chartered in Fayetteville, Arkansas — and standing proudly as the largest and oldest bank in the state, as well as one of the largest in the United States — Arvest Bank wanted to evolve banking as we know it. And to do exactly that, they prototyped their all-new “branch of the future” in the nearby town of Rogers, Arkansas.

With this new branch being built in the town’s high-visibility, high-profile, high-income Pinnacle area, Arvest Bank wanted to make a statement with its all-new, two-story, 25,000 sq. ft. structure that would become a model build for all the company’s branches going forward.

PROTOTYPING THE PINNACLE OF BANKING

Arvest Bank’s “branch of the future” prototype had a three-pronged purpose, all of which their team, by wisely partnering with Superior Essex and Platformatics, was able to accomplish.

Challenge #1: Put a Fresh, Sleek Face on a Familiar Industry

• Solution: Design the structure with more lighting and clean lines to brighten and transform the space
• Results: A more attractive building, a better floor layout and a more personal customer experience invite in and retain new business

Challenge #2: Augment the Branch Design’s Existing Technology

• Solution: Infuse the building with more technology – such as mobile smart tablets, motion sensors, lighting sensors and daylight harvesting technology
• Results: Banking staff create a more efficient and enjoyable branch experience for customers by using the mobile smart tablets. Combined information from the various technologies enables the smart lights to automatically dim when it’s bright outside, turn off when a room is unoccupied and repurpose the sun’s energy. All of this works together to cut down on wasteful lighting practices and expenses by allowing the building to automate its energy consumption.

Challenge #3: Save Money on Utility Costs by Reducing Energy Waste and Output

• Solution: Install low-voltage, light-emitting diode (LED) lighting fixtures, connect them all with energy-efficient, Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) cabling solutions
• Results: LED fixtures use less electricity than older lighting systems (incandescent, fluorescent), so they are inherently more energy efficient. PoE is a low-voltage cabling technology, so there’s less energy being lost as heat, as well as less heat that then needs to be cooled off by an HVAC system.

WELL-DESIGNED, WELL-LIT, WELL-BUILT

To overcome their design challenges and to distinguish themselves as a future-forward, tech-enabled banking experience, Arvest Bank installed hundreds of low-voltage, LED lighting fixtures – including a large, 262 ft., light-up color strip in the lobby – all connected via Superior Essex PowerWise 1G 4PPoE cabling technology.

The main advantage of using PoE technology is that it can transport both data and power on the same cable, making end devices “smart” and able to communicate with building managers and each other. There are four main benefits of this:

• Improved troubleshooting, creating easier staff repairs
• Better tracking of energy consumption, which building managers can apply to alter user behaviors
• Less loss and waste, as LED lights generate less heat than other lighting technologies
• Easier installations, as PoE cables contain both data and power under a single jacket

Every light was then managed by a single, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled lighting system using smart controls from Platformatics and made even more energy efficient by motion sensors that automatically turn off the lights when a room is unoccupied.

In total, Arvest Bank’s Pinnacle branch featured the following:

• 312 PoE ports
• 492 low-voltage LED lighting fixtures
• 700 separate data cable runs
• 36,000 ft. of Superior Essex PowerWise 1G 4PPoE cable
• 40 percent reduction in overall energy consumption (estimated)

WHY POWERWISE CABLE?

Utilizing insulated, 22-gauge, copper conductors – while still maintaining a small nominal diameter of just 0.23 inches – PowerWise 1G 4PPoE cable delivers 60 watts of power to PoE-enabled devices with up to 97 percent energy efficiency and 100 Watts of power with 88 percent power efficiency, all while also supporting 1 Gigabit data transmission.

As a result, it maintains the lowest temperature rise in large cable bundles – the best of its class – ensuring reliable power and data transmission in high-density installations and allowing for more-streamlined positioning in networking racks.

Additionally, the PowerWise 1G cable features an Environmental Health Declaration (EPD) and a Health Product Declaration (HPD), which contributes points towards projects earning green-building certifications such as LEED.

All of this, in turn, works together to reduce a building’s temperature rise, increase its overall power efficiency, minimize the required size of server rooms and help ensure performance and sustainability over the lifetime of the system.

GROWING A BETTER BANKING BRANCH

By installing industry-leading, energy-efficient, PoE cable from Superior Essex and smart lighting controls from Platformatics to connect and supply their hundreds of low-voltage, LED lights throughout the Pinnacle prototype design, Arvest Bank achieved immense energy savings. As a result, the Pinnacle branch opened in late 2019, and across Arvest’s portfolio of over 260 locations, it has since become the crown jewel and the model of tech-forward bank branches for many years to come.

Superior Essex Communications is the leading manufacturer and supplier of communications cable in North America. It is on the forefront of innovation through Power-over-Ethernet, Intelligent Buildings and Cities and 5G Fiber infrastructure – including both Hybrid and Composite solutions. Superior Essex Communications is also setting the industry’s pace on sustainability by being the first and only company with a Zero Waste to Landfill certification at its Hoisington, Kansas, plant; the first wire and cable producer to contribute points to LEED certification, and the first to offer verified sustainable cables in over 55 product families. Superior Essex Communications is Everywhere You Live and Work.

About the author: Justin Barisich is a copywriter and storyteller with over a decade of experience crafting messaging to move minds, mouths, markets, and mountains. He’s familiar with the various forms and genres of writing — creative, corporate, academic, media, and performance — and is an valuable “wordsmith for hire” for anyone who comes calling or clicking. Read more of Justin’s writing at www.littlewritingman.com. 


Edited by Ken Briodagh