Read More:
- Capital One Cafés: Coffee Shops or Bank Branches?
- 9 Spectacular Headquarters Designs From Banks and Credit Unions
- Are Tiny Pop-Up Branches Banking’s Brick-and-Mortar Future?
6. Umpqua Bank – HQ Flagship Branch
Part hangout, part café, part bank; the space provides comfort and amenities to its neighbors whether they are customers or not. Comfortable seating, a small library and a full coffee and tea bar invites customers and neighbors alike to sit and stay a while. Community conference rooms are available free of charge. The entire retail space is also available for community events.
Design Credit: Ditroën
7. Virgin Money – Haymarket Lounge
Virgin Money Lounges are unique in the banking world. They are designed to be interesting, stimulating and, above all, comfortable places where customers and local communities can come together. Lounge visitors can choose to put their feet up and enjoy the facilities, use the lounge for an informal meeting or do some actual banking.
Just a short-walk from Piccadilly Circus, the Haymarket Lounge offers customers the opportunity to relax, watch TV, or browse a range of Virgin Money information on a huge interactive touch screen display.
When customers descend to lower ground, they may forget they’re in a bank altogether and expect to be asked to take their seats for take off. Given Virgin’s history in aviation, the lower floor has been designed in the style of the interior of an airliner with real airliner seats, overhead lockers and floor lighting to guide the way.
Design Credit: Allen International
8. Ardent Credit Union
Sb1 Federal Credit Union undertook a major rebranding initiative, including a name change. The newly minted Ardent Credit Union opened its first freestanding location as part of their transition from primarily serving a single employer to the community at large. The space has a contemporary and industrial feeling that also exudes a comfortable, homey vibe — like a modern loft.
Design Credit: La Macchia Group
9. Skipton Building Society – New Ideas Centre
This branch exudes a casual feeling that’s both open and welcoming. Just like the kitchen is the heart of any home, the “Ideas Kitchen” is the heart of this location. The domestic setting features items such as globes and travel books that staff can use as conversation starters.
The design team behind this concept said they found inspiration in service-based environments like airline lounges.
“It’s the generous gestures in those settings that count towards a positive experience,” explains Lee Holden, Divisional Manager at Skipton Building Society. “At Skipton, the tea-making ritual is one of those key gestures. People used to congregate around the fire, then they congregated around the TV, but they’ve always congregated around a cup of tea. That’s the sort of culture we wanted to bring into the branch.”
Design Credit: M Worldwide
10. Bankwest – Perth Flagship Branch
Traffic-style markings evocative of pedestrian intersections create a directional, striped floor, and vertical signage pylons act as speed bumps, assisting with customer navigation. Standing and seated “Meeting Hubs” for fast, easy consultations have motion sensor-activated light lenses overhead when occupied.
The freeform, suspended “Expert Bar” offers a place for convenient face-to-face advice, and the “Browse Bar” hosts customer-use PCs, iPads and FREE WiFi. A seminar zone allows for free in-store sessions, and includes merchandise displays from sponsors.
There’s a self-service fast-track zone within the entry bay for regular customers to access with ease, and a series of glazed private meeting spaces for more in-depth consultations.
Design Credit: Design Clarity
