his unique design significantly improves the functionality of the high-street bank, increasing floor space during the day and welcoming customers inside to access the ATM, whilst at night they can enjoy the use of an attractive glass lobby to complete their banking transactions in safety.
“This installation really demonstrates the scope offered by modern moveable wall systems,” enthuses Style’s Group Managing Director, Julian Sargent. “Being fully automatic, the wall slides into position within moments, allowing staff to quickly change the branch layout to create an external ATM access point.”
Style worked closely with the in-house Santander design team to finalise the details of the required system, ensuring the solution delivered the desired level of functionality and security.
“A key objective for the design was to project a sense of openness and transparency to the customer with an emphasis on self-service as well as online and mobile banking channels,” explains Miguel Perez, Design Manager for the Property Division of Santander. “The concept of absorbing an external glass ATM lobby into the main retail banking area during the day has been trialled successfully in Santander branches in both France and Germany, allowing customers to enjoy a welcoming environment at all times.”
Upon entering the Tottenham Court Road branch, customers are greeted in a reception area and directed to a range of services so they can decide how they want to bank. Facilities include ‘Express Banking’ with a new ATM wall, counter services for more secure transactions, private interview rooms as well as online banking via new digital workstations. A visually high-impact, reflective red perforated ceiling canopy contrasts with a warm wood floor to create a dynamic interior that really sets the tone for a customer’s interactive and personal experience.
Style, the sole UK supplier of DORMA moveable wall systems, confirmed with Santander’s design team that Varitrans was the ideal solution for the new Tottenham Court Road branch. Offering inherent flexibility, this system allows almost any configuration of partitions to be accommodated, including corner and angled elements. Incorporating the DORMA ComfortDrive system, the moveable partition slides effortlessly into place at the press of a button for night-time set-up. During branch opening hours, the glass panels neatly retract through a slim opening in the back wall to stack in a small recessed area out of sight. The floor-mounted guide rail is extremely shallow and compact, ensuring no trip hazard when the glass wall is retracted.
“We have seen a significant increase in demand for fully automatic partitioning walls in recent years,” confirms Sargent. “People like the fast simplicity of the ComfortDrive system but also recognise the health and safety advantages too. There is no manual handling of course, plus the panels are always correctly positioned with no chance of operator error.”
Understandably security was an important consideration for the bank’s interior design team. A high-specification solution, the Varitrans system is constructed using anti-bandit, 11.5mm laminated safety glass. The individual panels themselves feature interlocking profiles, effectively preventing a lever attack, or ‘jemmying’, whilst an electronic lock shoots out a bolt to secure the final panel in place. Ensuring staff and customer safety, an integral sensor activates the wall to stop and reverse if an obstruction is encountered.
Fully compliant with current required standards and regulations, DORMA ComfortDrive technology and security has been installed in demanding locations worldwide. Reliability combines with minimum routine maintenance to deliver a moveable wall system that really is second-to-none.
