Branch Banking Redefined – A design tour by OCBC and The Afternaut

ABOUT

What do retail, dining, and art have to do with a bank?

As part of its efforts to redefine the branch experience and strengthen its relevance OCBC hoped that customers will come away feeling that their time at the branch was “time well spent”. The goal was to spark meaningful conversations with customers, using their interests, lifestyles, and of course, financial goals, as jumping pads.

To achieve this, OCBC worked together with The Afternaut, an experience design agency, to design the new OCBC Wisma Atria branch, located at the heart of Orchard Road.

At OCBC Wisma Atria, customers can unwind as they shop unique design goods and local brands, appreciate art and enjoy great food at the café or omakase restaurant, and even chat with the friendly ambassadors as they share their favourite books or take part in exciting pop-up events.

The unexpected lifestyle options inside the bank help spark conversations, breaking the ice for the bank to start having more engagements with their customers, which will lead to more meaningful wealth-related conversations and opportunities for deeper interactions.

PROGRAMME

Join the teams from OCBC and The Afternaut, as they take participants behind-the-scenes of how the space was brought to life. Experience first-hand how thoughtful design is transforming OCBC Wisma Atria into a must-visit destination that creates business impact and redefines the future of banking.

DESIGN TOUR HOSTS

Franklin Wuu
OCBC Group Customer Experience

Franklin leads the spatial design team of OCBC’s Group Customer Experience. With 20+ years of design expertise in the areas of spatial, product, and experience and having spent the first half of his career in agencies and the last decade with OCBC, he has first-hand knowledge of the challenges associated in developing and delivering creative solutions on both sides of the client agency relationship.

As an advocate for human-centric design, Franklin serves to create and enhance customer and employee experiences with OCBC recognising that financial health contributes to a life of stability, freedom, and mental well-being.

Gwen Tan
The Afternaut

Gwen is the design principal for Afternaut. As a qualified architect and co-founder of Formwerkz Architects, she lends her design expertise of more than 20 years to a wide range of projects in the commercial, residential, and hospitality industry in Singapore, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, France, and the UK.

Gwen’s passion for her work is driven by the desire to address the diverse challenges her clients face, gearing towards a seamless process to solving them, and balancing this with project longevity and refinement.

ORGANISER

OCBC

OCBC is the longest established Singapore bank, second largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets, and one of the world’s most highly-rated banks. OCBC and its subsidiaries offer a broad array of commercial banking, specialist financial and wealth management services, ranging from consumer, corporate, investment, private and transaction banking to treasury, insurance, asset management and stockbroking services. www.ocbc.com

The Afternaut Group

The Afternaut Group is an experience design agency that helps create and design transformational spaces and experiences for present and future generations. Our team of spatial designers, visual designers, and business innovationists understand design and how to bring sustainable experiences to life; to benefit and improve the well-being of our society and the environment.

CONTACT

Name: Dianne Goh
Email Address: hello@theafternaut.com

Top image: Entrance of OCBC Wisma Atria and book spine. Image courtesy of OCBC Bank and The Afternaut.