New trends in bank design
Banks once occupied the most prestigious locations in Canadian cities. Urban sprawl reduced their presence into faceless boxes, and then to virtual entities with online banking and ATMs. Now, banks want to reconnect with customers. Here's how two banks are reaching out.
The National Bank of Canada has commissioned commercial interior designer Robert Ruscio of Montreal to design its flagship space on King and York Streets in Toronto. The dark exterior of the building will frame the contrasting colours used inside, making a visual connection, inviting customers in.
Inside, where there are 25-foot ceilings, there will be room for oversized visuals. A circular semi-translucent cubbyhole will provide a space to have an informal conversation. With two entrances onto busy streets, the bank will employ a greeter at the reception desk which will light up like a beacon.
Hang out in a bank? That's what the National Bank wants customers to do - here by the fireplace. To experience the brand, the bank wants to create welcoming spaces where customers and staff can interact.'If someone comes in to have a coffee and read a book for half an hour on a rainy day, it’ll be a sign the design is working,' Mr. Ruscio says.
In another approach to bank design, ING Direct opened its Toronto Café last year in a heritage building on Yonge Street across from the Eaton Centre shopping mall.
ING, the Netherlands-based banking group, runs a solely online banking service in Canada. But in an effort to connect with customers in a different way, it now has cafés in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal.
To demonstrate ING’s commitment to the neighbourhood, already $70,000 in proceeds from the café have been donated to community groups. The second floor houses Network Orange, which offers short-term open office space to small business operators for modest fees.'We find entrepreneurs want to spend time with like-minded people to share ideas and technology,' Brenda Rideout, ING's chief marketing and innovation officer, says.