While there are many things to consider, here are six of the most important things to think about before starting a bank project.
1. Location
Put simply, location has the ability to make or break a bank. In our decades of work specializing in bank architecture, we’ve found site selection to be the most important single decision involved. Before starting a bank-building project, work with an experienced partner to determine the best possible location.
2. Current Trends
The financial industry, just like any area of industry, experiences an evolution of trends. When you’re still figuring out how to start a bank, getting yourself up-to-date on those trends can seem overwhelming. And that’s before trying to figure out which ones are right for your branch, your brand and your customers.
3. Industry-Specific Technologies
How are today’s banks leveraging new and innovative technology to run more efficiently and provide their visitors with superior service? And of those technologies, which are right for you and your financial institution?
Decisions about technology and how the bank will run day-to-day operations ought to be determined before an initial design is drawn.
4. Co-Branding
One growing concept within bank architecture is co-branding. Co-branding projects are those where a bank opts to share its space with another business – like a coffee shop, cell phone carrier or title company.
Co-branding is an opportunity to create a banking experience that draws crossover traffic and sets the stage for relationship-building. Plus, it’s mutually beneficial for the participating businesses.
5. Site Assessment
In cases where you already own the site for your new bank or are looking to remodel, undergoing a site assessment can uncover what’s possible and probable within the existing space.
6. Your Brand
With bank architecture, it’s essential to design a space that fits with your image and your culture. Successful financial institutions have clear concepts that show visitors, employees and the surrounding community who you are.
The things that set you apart are the things that draw people in. And just like all of the other items on this list, the elements that make your brand are going to be specific to you.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer for those of you wondering how to start a bank. That’s why working with an expert in bank architecture will ensure all the little things – which turn out to be big things – are tended to.
