People want to be able to carry out their banking transactions discretely - without having someone looking over their shoulder. It is a good thing when the architecture of a bank reacts to this need. The OKAWOOD functional glass from OKALUX used in the Regional Savings Bank of Oldenburg in the city of Delmenhorst shields individual customers and employee areas from the other frequenters by creating protected zones. Not only does the wooden interlayer in the cavities of the panes enable a good view to the outside – it also creates a pleasant daylight atmosphere.
The challenges of uniting discretion and openness in one design were met by the Schroeder Architects Office in Bremen with their conception of the new pavilion for the Regional Savings Bank. Discrete areas of withdrawal for customers and employees contrast with the open design of the building to the street. The one storey building confidently blends into the surrounding environment of office buildings and local supply centre. It opens towards the northwest to a small forecourt with benches and trees inviting the visitor to dwell for awhile. The adjacent, generous glass façade on the north side clearly marks the main entrance towards the intersection. The night and self-service area with ATMs and bank statement printing machines are located in the vestibule behind it. Part of the entrance façade was equipped with OKAWOOD functional glass from OKALUX. The insulating glass with interlayers of Meranti wooden bars in the cavities of the panes shield customers at the ATMs from curious glances. At the same time, muted light enters the interior through the filigree, 10 millimeter thick horizontal bars.
On the southeastern side, the large, central customer area is flanked by the vestibule and an interior area for the employees. These three areas form a Z in the floor plan which becomes a rectangle through the addition of the vestibule at the main entrance and a small garden at the southeastern façade. OKAWOOD elements in the glass façade ensure discretion in the main hall as well as the interior areas in spite of the openness of the design as a whole. The height of the building itself is also a reaction to the diverse areas of use. The northern part with its vestibule and large customer area is higher and more inviting than the lower, more intimate southern part designated for internal use.
With its light façade of plaster, and the warm hues of the wood in combination with the clean, simple building structure, the new building is a welcome contrast to the surrounding industrial area. The integrated ”LzO” logo of wooden bars on the generous façade openings serve as a discrete advertising medium with atmospheric support at night from the unobtrusive indirect illumination. Daylight in the “Agora”. 164 square meters are covered with glass wooden panels which screen the interior.
With OKAWOOD from OKALUX, Maki and Associates have succeeded in designing an elegant shell of wood and glass which affords a comfortable atmosphere of light to the interior during the day and lets the building glow like a lantern during the night.
