Sparkasse Aschaffenburg

In the main branch of Sparkasse Aschaffenburg, the idea of the customer hall has been translated into the 21st century. The new flexible spatial concept is also characterized by stainless steel mesh from GKD.

Online and mobile banking, virtual meetings with customer advisors – digitization has transformed the banking world like few other industries. Many tasks are now handled by customers online. It’s no wonder that financial institutions are closing more and more branches. The remaining bank branches, on the other hand, are taking on a different role. When bank customers now visit their advisors in person, it’s no longer just about a transfer or applying for a new credit card. Instead, it’s mostly about long-term financial decisions, such as investments or buying property. This changed customer behavior is also evident in the spatial concepts and design of modern bank branches – just like in Sparkasse Aschaffenburg-Alzenau.

How Design and Technology Interact

The completely modernized and renovated customer hall of the main branch shows how this functional shift is achieved. The spacious hall, which has an open feeling due to an enclosing gallery, was built in the 1970s. In order to meet the most modern requirements, it was gutted and energetically renovated. With a sustainable energy concept, the bank aims to reduce energy consumption by around 70 percent.

The atrium, referred to as the heart of the Sparkasse building, is not only energetically remarkable after the complete renovation. The architects have succeeded in showcasing the space itself. The eye-catching feature of the new bank design is a spiral staircase with an integrated information stand in Sparkasse red. The object nestles against a stair tower covered with GKD’s OMEGA 1520 stainless steel mesh. The transparent material is a significant design element, alongside light and glass. It appears not only on the stair tower but also on the few other spatial objects, such as the round advisory desks.

Custom-Made Metal Mesh

GKD supplied custom-made mesh to the participating companies: Six panels with a total area of nearly 50 square meters were processed by the cabinetmaking workshop for the advisory desks, and nine panels covering an area of almost 90 square meters envelop the stair tower.

The functional as well as visual properties of the mesh support the space planning and layout that, according to the wish of Sparkasse Aschaffenburg, “meets the customer requirements of a modern savings bank.” GKD’s stainless steel mesh, in conjunction with the window and glass surfaces, appears simultaneously open and transparent, as well as secure and discreet. Lastly, the mesh also has a positive impact on room acoustics as it diffuses sound that inevitably arises from hard surfaces like glass and stone.