Raiffeisen Bank

Financial institutions once occupied the most prestigious and opulent buildings and locations in every city and town. They oozed intimidation, grandeur and wealth. Then banks became nameless and faceless boxes, one or more in every block, just like franchised fast-food chains. And then it seemed we’d soon have no physical banks at all, only banking machines and online banking.

But now we are starting to see banks that seem to want to talk to us again. It seems that they want to make us feel welcome, actually wanting to appeal to customers again.

 The new financial spaces are designer banks that look more like five-star hotel lounges, bars or nightclubs than the boring boxes banks have become.

The goal of this white space-agey environment is to break down the physical and emotional barriers between customers and staff. Stern tellers and three-piece-suited bankers behind high counters and glass walls, and accessible only through little windows like jailbirds — these are things of the past.

In this new world of banking, customers are invited to learn more about the bank’s services and products though interactive touch screen tables, while surrounded by digitally produced massive portraits of prominent past residents of the area.

We assume the staff members are equally stylish in attire and grooming as it is tough to imagine bespectacled tellers or portly pin-striped bankers in this environment

Austrailian Nandos

Here are images of the chain Nando's in Australia. This fast food restaurant is out of the ordinary, originally fast food restaurant go for plastic furnishings and retro lighting, Australian chain Nando's has gone for a modern, bright and airy space. Inspired by the history of Portuguese sailors exploring the world, the 135-sq-m Nando’s Canberra has a raw, natural concept. The focal point, a ceiling installation made of curved plywood panels, is above the raised seating area and accented with rope and copper detailing. ‘These panels evoke and abstractly convey the interior structure or “ribs” of an explorer’s sailing ship,’ says Kristina Hetherington, director of Design Clarity. ‘The finishes include tone-on-tone decorative floor and wall tiles, white washed brick and copper details to create a natural aged, raw look.’ Laser-cut timber combines with rustic wall paint to accent the concept of being on a ship.

Concrete Tiles

Concrete Tiles embellished with fabric. These tiles i created at college. I used these images in my Retail Final Project. My inspiration for these came from m any places. One Artist in particular was Bethany Walker. Bethany revisits everyday elements from the built environment through knitted and embroidered threads and fibres which are combined with concrete and cement. These details interpret our often overlooked surroundings of which concrete and cement is a significant and fascinating part. She uses the combination of hard and soft materials to explore the reversal of the traditional viewpoints of inside/outside and to highlight concretes new 'fashionable' status which has seen its development from utility to luxury. Bethany uses both bought and found materials which reveal the contrast of new and worn, bright and dull, man-made and natural, all of which feature in the built environment. Found objects are manipulated through stitch, knit, and print to translate the marks of the ground.

Here are images of Bethany's work. Bethany went through a procedure of which I imitated. I began to collect plastic containers, all at various sizes. At the same time i was creating small delicate pieces of which i could embed in to the concrete. I then went on to mix the concrete, placed my deisgn at the bottom of the container face front, and placed a sheet of plastic over the top, in order for my design to be clear. I then poured the concrete on top and left untill dry.

 

Retail Space

Tokyo - Prada

The Prada building in Aoyama designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron has become a tourist attraction itself. The exterior is made from an interesting convex glass, looking like a giant bee hive. It also needs to be seen at night when it is all lit up - quite spectacular.

Here is an image of the entrace going into the prada building. This is a spectaular design, exploring 3D techiniques, and the extreme clean finish.

Here is a view of the building which you can see the 3D elements of the glass. This is one of many spaces which is a retail space yet a site to see for the architect itself.