Santander’s branch on London’s Tottenham Court Road is the first of its refurbished, customer-centric branches offering state of the art digital facilities.

Working closely with Santander’s in-house design team and contractor C & G, Style was chosen to cleverly utilise a fully automatic, DORMA Varitrans glass moveable wall system to create a safe out-of-hours ATM lobby, ensuring it delivered the desired level of functionality and security.

The 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. See video.

“This installation really demonstrates the scope offered by modern moveable wall systems,” said 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.”

Miguel Perez, Design Manager for the Property Division of Santander added, “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.

“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.

“Style’s moveable wall installation is proving a great success and perfectly complements the new-look Santander branch,” continued Perez. “Staff appreciate the additional functionality it delivers to their working environment whilst customers welcome easy access using their bank debit card into a bright and spacious, 24hr ATM facility.”