Photography by Roy Wright
Independence Savings Banks charged Landy Verderame Arianna Architects to redesign its branch offices to reflect the local culture and flavor of each neighborhood.
It has always been a challenge for financial institutions to find ways to create a distinct identity. As a result, they need to look beyond just their service offerings to find ways to distinguish themselves in the eyes of their customers.
That challenge is even greater if you’re an institution that relies heavily on branch offices to attract customers and deposits. The cost of “bricks and mortar” branching is significant. Plus, often there are conflicting goals of propagating a singular corporate visual identity, while at the same time conveying a sense of community and commitment to the neighborhoods in which the branches reside.
Independence Savings Bank, based in Brooklyn, NY, faced all of these factors when it undertook a major overhaul of its branch banking system beginning in 1994. The bank, with assets exceeding $4 billion, is one of the fastest growing institutions in the northeastern United States. Through growth and, in part, acquisitions, the bank’s branch network now stands at 34. Branches can be found in neighborhoods representing practically all socio-economic sectors within the New York City metropolitan area.
The ATM at the Roosevelt Ave. branch shows how Independence Savings Bank’s logo and signage was incorporated into Vitricor surfaces.
A driving force behind the overhaul program was the desire to give Independence Savings Bank branches a distinctive appearance in order to differentiate them from other neighborhood branches. “We wanted our customers to feel comfortable banking with us,” says Terence J. Mitchell, the bank’s executive vice president and director of retail banking. “To accomplish this, each of our branches was redesigned to reflect the local culture and flavor of the neighborhood.”
That approach is unusual. Typical branch offices of financial institutions adhere to a “corporate style” of mandated colors and materials that can rob them of a strong personality and tend to give them a “cookie cutter” appearance. Given the inner-urban environments of many of the branches, a common practice has been to redecorate them frequently, but to use only average materials in the belief that it is uneconomical to invest more.
The New York City architectural firm of Lady Verderame Arianna was selected to produce the designs for the branch overhaul project. Instead of establishing a rigid “design standard” to be adhered to across the system, a decision was made to use a surfacing material as the standard: Vitricor . Vitricor is a methacrylate decorative surfacing that provides a reflective gloss appearance much like that achieved through hand-lacquering. It also is available in a matte finish known as Mist, as well as in woodgrains and stone patterns known as Impressions by Vitricor.
“Independence Savings Bank had actually used Vitricor in two of its branches back in the late 1980s,” explains Deborah Verderame, RA, ASID, a principal at Landy Verderame Arianna. “It turned out that, in addition to its unique appearance, this material actually held up better than other surfacing materials used. As a result, we felt that the Vitricor would provide not only a distinctive design statement, it would also be the best choice for the long-term from a cost standpoint.”
Since 1994, more than 20 Independence Savings Bank branches have been redone. In some instances the interior of the branch has been completely gutted and redesigned, while in others, existing fixtures and furnishings have been resurfaced. The Vitricor material has been the central unifying element in each project: it appears on wall surfaces, on teller stations and check-writings stands, as well as on the ATM surrounds located in the 24-hour banking areas.
At the Jackson Heights branch, strip lighting underneath the purse shelf at teller stations highlight the bank’s logo and diamond inlay pattern displayed on the vertical surface.
Independence Savings Bank favors the use of red, white and blue colors in its branch interiors. Such a combination could have turned out to be problematic for designers, except that the bank’s only directive was that “some aspect” of the colors appear in each branch design. Robert P. Braun, RA, one of the Landy Verderame Arianna architects working on the project, explains. “They wanted all of the branches to have some subtle reflection of the three colors. But that still gave us a lot of leeway.
“At the recently completed Prospect Park branch in Brooklyn, for instance, we have a blue matte Vitricor, exposed red brick walls, and plenty of white on the walls. At the Broadway branch in Queens, the floor tiles are blue, but they also incorporate white and red tones. That’s completely different from many corporate design standards, which often require the same millwork, the same light fixtures, the same flooring, carpeting, wall covering and decorative surfaces,” says Braun.
“The flexibility we were given made it much easier for us to give each branch an individual personality and tie it into the neighborhood,” adds Verderame. “The Roosevelt Ave. branch in Queens is anchored in a Hispanic neighborhood. The color scheme we used there actually emanated from a colorful chair fabric that is reflective of the Latin American culture. We led with that color scheme and designed the rest of the elements around that,” she notes.
Another striking element is the integration of signage and lettering into the Vitricor surfaces. Independence Savings Bank’s name and logo are prominently incorporated into the ATM surrounds. In addition, the logo is displayed on the vertical surfaces of the teller stations. “Since we place strip lighting underneath the purse shelf, it is an ideal location to highlight the bank’s logo,” says Verderame. Some of the teller stations feature other artistic inlays or embossed-like elements to add interest and flair to the 40-foot-long teller station expanse. Others have incorporated the indicator lights in clear Vitricor material. The effect is rich and elegant.
Floor plan
A. Vestibule
B. Corridor
C. Travel agency
D. Work room
E. Conference room
F. Expediting area
G. Banking hall
H. Teller line
I. Office
J. Hallway
K. Stairway
L. Closet
M. Restrooms
N. Break room
O. Lockers
P. Community room
Q. Open to below
R. E-mail
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