BANK OF MONTREAL, MANULIFE CENTRE

The Bank of Montreal acquired the existing ground floor space of two retail stores for their new branch in the Manulife Centre. As this space did not front directly onto Bloor Street, its presence was played up with emphasis on a wall of bank machines and a glowing “lantern” sign. A secondary access from the mall is through a blue “portal”, which creates a strong threshold and celebrates the entrance into the branch.

Instead of the typical barrier-like counterline, each Teller has their own pod desk. This implies a notion of equality and one-on-one engagement between the client and banker.