Firm： Lefteris Tsikandilakis + Architects

Type： Commercial › Bank Retail

STATUS： Built

YEAR： 2021

Pancretan Bank, a key driver of the Cretan economy for 25 years, has decided to make a fresh start. Our cooperation with the group started in February 2019 and continues to this day, with the study of stores and office spaces throughout Greece.

The focal point represents the creation of areas that goes hand in hand with the modern business landscape combined with the main source of inspiration, the culture, and the history of Crete. The primary tool for the image of the store is the symbolism inspired by the Cretan culture, which gives each space a separate identity. For example, the timber construction that houses the essential functions of the shops and at the same time separates them, is inspired by the arbor bed, a fundamental element directly connected to the Cretan tradition.

Upgrading the aesthetics of the work environment and optimizing the spaces are also achieved with the open-plan logic, with exceptions in managers' offices and meeting rooms. To achieve a solid wayfinding of the client in the space, wooden elements are placed on the roof that mark the workplaces of the employees and emphasize the main activity of the bank: the cooperation with the customer. In addition, perforated partitions made of metal and glass were designed, based on the orthonormal organization of the Knossos Palace.

The color palette used in each space, emerges from the Minoan culture and is now part of the corporate identity of the Bank. Respectively, the other materials highlight the sense of intimacy and trust in the space, while at the same time contributing to the creation of a unified image.

The aesthetics of offices and stores are completed by the integration of corporate identity elements, both with the use of the logo and with graphic applications based on the new guidelines of the Pancretan Bank.