Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Building

skyscraper
international-style
VA
Richmond

About the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Building in Richmond
Architect and team
Architectural style
Spaces and uses
Structure and materials

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Building is an International Style skyscraper designed in 1972 by Minoru Yamasaki, and built between 1975 and 1978, for a reported $30.0 million dollars, in Richmond, VA.

Its precise street address is 701 East Byrd Street, Richmond, VA. You can also find it on the map here.

The building's facade bears a resemblance to the Twin Towers of New York, which were also designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki. In both projects, the architect emphasizes the building's verticality through narrow bays that organize the facade. However, even though the aesthetics might be similar, the structural solution is different in both projects..

Building's timeline

Design completed

1972

Construction begins

1975

Construction completed

1978

years ago

2025

Architect and team

Minoru Yamasaki was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design.

That being said, architecture is a complex discipline involving many professionals from different fields, without whom this building would have not been possible. We will surely be leaving out a lot of names here, but here is a list of the people we do know also played their part in making the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Building a reality:

Daniel & Company as the Main Contractor
Harry Bertoia as the collaborating Artist

Architectural Style

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Building can be categorized as an International Style building.

The international style originated in Europe in the early 20th century, and made its way to the US a couple of decades later when the rise of the Nazi regime forced figures such as Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, or Mies van der Rohe to flee Europe.

The International Style emerged as a response to the prevailing historicism and ornate architecture styles of the late 19th century, which according to a younger generation of architects didn't represent the new materials and construction techniques that were on the rise at the time.

Architecture in the early 20th century US was marked by the adoption of steel structures, modern construction techniques, and the rise of the skyscraper. As it turns out, this combination of circumstances created the perfect ecosystem for the International Style to flourish, becoming the to-go style for skyscraper designs during the mid-20th century, when American cities were growing fast.

The International Style’s legacy can not only be found in numerous iconic buildings across all major American cities, but also incorporated in contemporary architecture, which still puts a big emphasis on functionality and minimalism.

Spaces & Uses

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Building reaches an architectural height of 394ft (120m). It has a total of 29 floors, 26 above ground and 3 basements.

In regards to parking space, the building has a total of 520 spots available, which roughly equals 20 spots per floor (above ground).

Ever since opening its doors to the public in 1978, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Building has mainly been used as Commercial space.

With approximately 46,452 square meters of office space, the building places its mechanical levels at the top of the structure. The underground floors house parking, truck facilities, vaults, and security operations areas.

The building offers its tenants amenities such as a gym, an executive dining room, a cafeteria, a hair salon, a gift shop, a shooting range, and an auditorium.

Materials & Structure

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Building uses a frame structure made of steel columns and concrete and steel slabs.

A frame structure uses a combination of beams and columns to sustain the building's weight. The walls in this case are non-load bearing, which allows for more flexibility when distributing the interior spaces.

The facade uses a non-load bearing curtain wall system. This means the curtain wall modules are anchored to the building's structural frame, typically by being attached to the edge of the floor slabs. The curtain wall system connects to the slabs using brackets, anchors, and mullions, which transfer the loads imposed by wind and temperature changes, to the building's primary structural elements.

This setup allows the curtain wall to accommodate differential movement between the facade and the structural frame, such as thermal expansion, floor deflection, or sway from wind forces. This system's integration with the slab edges also allows for continuous insulation and weatherproofing layers.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features

dark-tinted glass windows organized in thin bays by narrow vertical grooves clad in silver aluminum.

Sources

architecturerichmond.com
richmondcitywatch.com
sah-archipedia.org