M&T Bank Corp. opened its first environmentally friendly branch last week in West Seneca,

using what it calls a contemporary new design that will serve as a model for the bank's future

branch construction and renovation.

The new office at Southgate Plaza was built to meet the Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Specifically, three large skylights in the main lobby provide extensive natural light,

while the branch uses a mixture of fluorescent lamps, ceramic metal halide lamps and

light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, for interior lighting. Light sensors monitor sunlight levels

and dim the artificial lighting as needed.

The 9,100-square-foot branch is heated by gas-fired boilers that are 97 percent efficient,

and walls are made with a highly insulated, recyclable steel panel system. An automated

control system monitors heating, cooling and ventilation, controls fresh air ventilation by

monitoring carbon dioxide levels, and "pre-cools" the building by drawing in cool air at

night.

The branch also features a colonnade inspired by the bank's headquarters at One M&T Plaza

downtown designed by Minoru Yamasaki. And it has a large, open banking hall that recalls

branch construction from the early 20th century.

The branch includes four drive-through lanes, a drive-through ATM and a lobby with a

technology-centered "M&T Store." It replaces a Southgate Plaza branch that was vacated March

22, with all 25 employees moving to the new location.

"This new design is energy-efficient, and it also creates contemporary new look to attract

and welcome customers," said M&T President Mark J. Czarnecki. "M&T has always believed in

being actively involved in the communities we serve, and our new branch was designed with our

customers and the community in mind."

The office was built on the site of a vacant Citibank branch that M&T acquired in 2006,

consolidated and later demolished. The project was designed by international firm Pentagram,

along with Buffalo firms Hamilton Houston Lownie Architects and Kideney Architects.

M&T is also constructing an environmentally friendly "green" branch in Chambersburg, Pa.,

and one in Maryland, and said it has plans for other new branches and renovations using the

West Seneca prototype.