NAU Architecture & Drexler Guinand Jauslin

Description

The new Raiffeisen bank branch on Kreuzplatz departs from the principle of the bank counter as a barrier between customers and employees to become an »open bank«, a space of encounter. With today’s online banking and new technologies, the banking infrastructure has become nearly invisible. The customer is informed of new products and services in a bright and inviting atmosphere. Consultations take place informally at the reception desk or more discreetly in conference rooms. A media table offers interactive »real-time« information on the economy, culture, and the history of Hottingen. Elegant curved walls articulate the spatial continuum of the bank and mediate between open and closed rooms where discussions can take place in more private surroundings. Portraits of cultural figures who lived in the area, including Böklin, Semper and Spyri, provided the motifs for the digital production of machined HI-MACS wall panels. While these images of historical figures anchor the bank in the cultural context of Hottingen, the design at the same time conveys a futuristic atmosphere.