At the Corner of Culture and Capital: Gensler's Design for NALCAB

On the edge of San Antonio’s Market Square, where streets regularly transform into festival corridors filled with music, food, and color, a familiar corner is being given new purpose. A former bank building, once defined by teller lines, vaults, and drive-through lanes, is being transformed into the future headquarters of the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB). The project, led by Gensler, reframes the structure not simply as an office, but as a civic home rooted in access, cultural identity, and community connection.

Founded to strengthen Latino-led nonprofits and community development organizations nationwide, NALCAB provides training, technical assistance, and capital to support affordable housing, small business growth, financial capability, and neighborhood revitalization. In addition, the organization advocates for equitable investment and policy reform at the national level. This dual mission calls for a headquarters that operates not just as office space, but as a convening hub and visible expression of community empowerment.

NALCAB’s presence in San Antonio began on the West Side, and while the organization has grown nationally, its leadership remained committed to returning downtown. “We knew we wanted to come back in,” said Nicole Barrera, NALCAB’s Communications Manager. “We wanted to be closer to our members and be accessible to them. It is very meaningful for us to be downtown, near the West Side.”

The selected building carries its own layered history. Originally constructed in the 1930s-1940s as a neighborhood bank, it was expanded and given a Spanish Colonial façade in the 1970s. When Gensler encountered the project, they understood that the task was not simply to modernize an aging structure, but to interpret its past while reshaping its future.

“We’re known for a modern aesthetic,” said Gerardo Gandy, Experience Strategist at Gensler and Design Director for the project, “but we wanted to go back to basics and think about what great architecture is.” For the design team, that meant recognizing that many principles associated with modernism, e.g. light, air, simplicity, and clarity of space, have long existed in regional and vernacular architecture. Courtyards, shaded circulation, and spatial hierarchy are not new ideas, but deeply rooted ones.

That understanding led to the project’s defining move: the introduction of a central interior courtyard. Rather than puncturing the historic façade to introduce daylight, the design reorganizes the building inward. A double-height gathering space, illuminated by north-facing skylights, becomes the heart of the workplace. Offices, meeting rooms, and support spaces radiate from this central volume, creating visibility and connection across levels.

The courtyard functions as reception, living room, and organizational anchor. “Rooms are organized around this central gathering space,” Gerardo Gandy explained, “very similar to Spanish Colonial homes.” The strategy preserves the building’s exterior character while fundamentally transforming how the interior is experienced.

If the courtyard is the heart, the building’s murals become its outstretched hand. Facing Market Square, the site still reflects its automotive past, including remnants of a drive-through lane. Rather than erasing that history, the design reclaims it, envisioning the perimeter as a pedestrian-oriented threshold that engages the surrounding district.

Market Square has long been a place of celebration, drawing locals and visitors alike. Gensler saw an opportunity to add another layer to that energy: visibility of resources. Murals are planned for multiple façades, with the most prominent at the corner, intended to act as a visual invitation. “You come with art, you’re curious, you walk in the door,” Heraldo said. “And then you learn about all these really great services.”

Inside, the building’s most symbolically powerful spaces come from what could not be removed. The original bank vaults, too costly and complex to demolish, were reimagined as “vaults of impact.” One is planned as a rotating gallery highlighting NALCAB’s mission, member success stories, and community milestones; another as a reading or reflection space. The metaphor is deliberate: what was once a container for financial capital now holds human and social capital.

Programmatically, the headquarters reflects NALCAB’s values of collaboration and inclusivity. Rather than isolating leadership in a single zone, private offices are distributed throughout the plan, mixed with open workstations and shared spaces. The building includes multipurpose rooms positioned near the former drive-through, allowing indoor-outdoor flow for events, presentations, and community gatherings.

A new mezzanine level adds flexibility and room for growth, supported by an elevator that exceeds basic code compliance. “It was important for them to have a space that allows for growth and accessibility for all employees,” Gandy noted. The elevator became both a practical and ethical investment, reinforcing the idea that good design is equitable design.

Interior materials balance durability with warmth. Clean, long-lasting finishes are paired with handcrafted textures, color, and artwork that reference cultural iconography and regional craft traditions. These choices bring a sense of humanity into a contemporary workplace, reinforcing the idea that this is a space designed not only for productivity, but for belonging.

Wayfinding and signage are conceived as bilingual and icon-based, ensuring clarity across languages. Sustainability features, often hidden in contemporary buildings, are intentionally made legible through plaques and educational elements. The goal is not only performance, but knowledge-sharing, allowing visitors and members to understand how environmental investment can translate to their own businesses and communities.

The architectural process unfolded alongside NALCAB’s organizational rebrand, and the two efforts informed one another. The new identity embraces bold color, handmade imperfection, and symbolism that suggests individuals coming together as a collective. Gensler drew from this language, translating graphic ideas into spatial ones and reinforcing continuity between brand and building.

Construction is expected to conclude toward the end of 2026, with NALCAB preparing for a move that feels both logistical and ceremonial. For the organization, the transition represents a fresh start grounded in continuity. For the neighborhood, it signals a quieter but lasting shift.

Like the bank that once occupied this corner, the new NALCAB headquarters will continue to operate transactionally, but with a transformed definition of value. Instead of deposits and withdrawals, the building will facilitate exchanges of knowledge, support, mentorship, and opportunity. Visitors arriving from Market Square, locals walking in from nearby neighborhoods, and students from the growing downtown UT San Antonio campus will encounter a place that is open, legible, and inviting.

In an area experiencing renewed energy and institutional investment, the building positions itself as both participant and anchor as it simultaneously absorbs the buzz of downtown growth while grounding it in service and purpose. What was once a financial institution will again function as a neighborhood cornerstone, quietly shaping daily life through access and connection.

Only now, the most valuable assets inside will be opportunity, trust, and the long work of community-building.

Cover rendering courtesy of Gensler.

Stephanie Aranda, Assoc. AIA, is a designer, educator, and writer whose work explores architecture as both built form and cultural artifact. Bridging practice and storytelling, she frames the built environment as narrative in motion.