Merkantil Bank Offices – Budapest
The design of Merkantil Bank’s offices in Budapest by Amoeba.Group focuses on creating an empathetic, cosy, and green office space, incorporating unique elements reflecting the values of the company while meeting strict security requirements.
The interior design of the project was based on three guiding principles: we wanted to create an empathetic, cosy and green office. All in all, a people-centred workplace.
An empathetic office, which ensures that every employee can find an environment suitable for their habitus and job, with several different moods and types of interior spaces. To ensure employee satisfaction, we organized several workshops with employee representatives in the early stages of the design to learn about their priorities.
A cosy office where you can feel at home and be social with colleagues.
A green office, because plants not only reduce stress and increase productivity, but also offset a technology-centric environment and provide a vivid, constantly changing background. We believe that the plants should not only appear on random locations of the space but should have a well-defined place in the concept as an integral part of the interior design.
Since the office spaces of the client were located on three different levels of the building (ground floor, 1st floor, 4th floor), spatially separated from each other, it was necessary to create a comprehensive visual concept connecting them. We were looking for a common identity that unites the spaces which is versatile enough so that each office area can develop its own character. In addition, the visual concept had to reflect the values of Merkantil Bank and be a sufficiently strong visual guide to define the nature of the interior design elements.
Like all companies, Merkantil Bank is run by a community of employees who maintain close social relations and work towards a common goal. However, this community would not exist without the company itself, so the Bank and the Employees exist in a kind of symbiosis, and by strengthening each other they bring the organization to life. At the same time, Merkantil Bank as a company also has its own values such as reliability, stability, experience and elegance.
Taking all the above into account, we chose the Oak Tree as an overarching symbol. The oak tree and its wildlife can be paralleled with the relationship between the company and the workers, the values associated with the oak tree paralleled with the company’s values, and its vertical spatial division (trunk – canopy – sky) with the spatial distribution of the office (ground floor, 1st floor, 4th floor).
We developed the interior design toolkit that we used during the design based on this.
On one hand, using curved lines, intensive vegetation, natural analogies (tree trunk, gravel, canopy, den, leaf litter), and oak surfaces. On the other hand, using Merkantil Bank’s corporate colours in a playful and novel combination in the bespoke wall covering reminiscent of overlapping leaves appearing in several places.
The result was a human-centred colourful interior taking in account the local conditions, but also reflecting the values and the image of the company.
In addition to the unique interior design elements, it was a special challenge to comply with the required bank security conditions, which imposed higher than average requirements in terms of partitions and windows, as well as electrical and IT systems. We also put a lot of emphasis on acoustic comfort, which is provided by sound-absorbing false ceilings and acoustic wall elements in the communal areas, corridors, and meeting rooms. In addition, we have chosen a carpet with comfort acoustic backing and used double-layered glass walls.
Design: Amoeba.Group
Architect: Capstone Management
Plant Styling: plante Budapest
Project Management: ABRM
Contractor: BMP
Furniture: Neudörfler Office Systems
Photography: Bálint Jaksa
