architects Vedrana Ergić & Marko Murtić
project The Zagrebačka Banka VIP Branch Office, Zagreb, Croatia
written by Ante Nikša Bilić

 

VIP

 

VIP stands for Very Important Person. The title itself hence demands a suitable approach to the branch office design. All is shaped to fit the individual client, which in turn excludes the idea of doing business over the counter. The” money flow” scheme has been altered. Of course, these changes determined the design of the branch office. The bank as such is not sectioned off hermetically. The barriers and symbols of authority, wealth, and power have been removed. There are no huge colonial granite slabs and screens of polished metal. Nothing gives away a desire for protection and discipline.

 

Worldwide, VIP branch offices tend to resemble clubs rather than what is our perception of branch offices. The VIP branch is situated in the eastern section of a shopping mall Centar Kaptol on the Nova Ves Street. A two-storey glass wall faces the street to the east and the northern side is flanked by a passage leading to the mall. The entrance is at the corner of the passage and the street.