DDi - January/February 2011 - (Page 33)

| 33 loans and other perks. To set the bank apart and offer a less-intimidating atmosphere, Moureaux incorporated elements of nature into the space to make customers feel more relaxed and at ease. The new design invites people into a natural setting, like a public park, and makes them more inclined to use the space as a meeting place, she explains. Rather than use traditional bank signage on the building’s exterior, the stark white façade is designed as scenery, covered entirely with white aluminum perforated panels that depict silhouettes of tree branches. Inset windows in various sizes are painted in 14 different colors and arranged in a rhymical pattern. Inside the bank, the leaf motif continues with graphics of white trees and colorful leaves on interior white walls. Glass walls also are used as transparent layers that enclose seven small courtyards inside the bank, which contain live trees and flowering plants to further immerse customers in a natural environment. While patrons cannot access the courtyards physically, they can experience the calming effect the plants give the space. “The vegetation allows people to feel seasons, and the courtyards allow the building to breathe,” Moureaux says. The Photos: Nacása & Partners Inc., Tokyo white tree and colorful leaf graphics on the glass overlap the natural trees’ foliage inside, adding dimension to the area. The three-story building’s first floor houses ATMs, tellers, three courtyards and an open space laid out with chairs in 14 different colors. The second story hosts the loan section, reception rooms, offices and four courtyards, while the third floor is reserved for staff facilities. Downlights are scattered throughout the first and second floors, while spotlights are used to accentuate the foliage in the courtyards. LEDs make the colorful windows on the exterior pop. Flooring is kept simple with carpet in the customer sitting area on the first floor, and again on the second floor to delineate customer service areas. Light and dark vinyl flooring in a wood pattern, used on the first floor at the entrance, was chosen for ease of maintenance. Moureaux also used dark vinyl flooring to create a path to the stairwell. With two Sugamo Shinkin Bank branch designs under her belt (Tokiwadai and Niiza locations), Moureaux is presently in the process of working on the Shimura branch in Tokyo. Scheduled to open in spring 2011, the new project will look completely different from the other designs, she says. Whatever the outcome, Moureaux says her goal in design and architecture is for “people visiting the space to have emotions, like when you see a painting.” Quite the unique approach to financial retailing. To e-mail this article, visit www.ddionline.com/magazine. Opposite page, top: The exterior is covered entirely with white aluminum panels, which are perforated to depict silhouettes of trees. Opposite page, bottom: Sugamo Shinkin Bank’s Tokiwadai branch in Tokyo combines a colorful palette and images of nature. Top left: The bank’s design incorporates a leaf motif with graphics of white trees and colorful leaves on interior white walls and glass walls. Bottom left: Colorful chairs arranged around small tables encourage customers to use the space as a meeting place. www.ddionline.com http://www.ddionline.com/magazine http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - January/February 2011

DDi - January/February 2011
Table of Contents
From the Editor
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Quick Tips
Greentailing
Editor’s Choice
Swatch Shanghai
Printemps Paris
OPSM’s EyeHub
Sugamo Shinkin Bank
Right Light
Product Spotlight
GlobalShop Preview
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Think Tank

DDi - January/February 2011