Description
Being one of the largest first-generation consumer financial institutions in the country, United Commercial Bank Limited (UCBL) is working seamlessly with firm commitment of the economic and social development of Bangladesh. With the vision of brand up gradation, the refurbishment of newly acquired premises at Gulshan Avenue for UCBL Headquarters was initiated back in 2009 with an intention to turning it into one of the finest examples of bank interiors exuding the essence of openness and clarity. The open office space layout is a bold design approach that had been adopted for a bank that makes the design different from other banks.
The design of UCBL has been conducted in two phases. The first phase commenced in 2009 and continued till 2010 completing from ground to 8th floor office spaces each floor of about 11490 sq. m. The second phase continued from 2011 till 2015 that included the refurbishment of 9th to 12th floor encompassing about 5,950 sq. m. of the building.
The concept was to give the staff members a feeling and expression of a big family. In order to achieve this unanimity in the working space, false ceilings were discarded thus gaining maximum clearstory height creating singular large open working Floor area. The meeting rooms were placed in the middle to create space for smaller work groups in a large floor plate.
The workstation areas adopt open office concept making the work area fluid, free and transparent. The meeting rooms within the workstation are also encompassed by glass walls maintaining transparency within the workplace itself. Throughout the spaces use of grey scheme with accent of red successfully conveys the brand image of United Bank. The design depicts a minimalist approach throughout its selection of furniture, layout and execution. Clear and wide circulation axis assists in functionality of the space. Large open space in the banking hall is one of the original showcases of such openness in bank design in Bangladesh.
The interior floor consists of marble finish with carpeting, colorful grid ceiling adds a distinct characteristic to the interior space along with sensible lighting design.
All the work spaces are connected by a white clean continuous seamless pathway made of white vitreous tiles. The rest of the work area is topped with soft grey toned carpet. The light-colored furniture stands out on top of the grey base carpet. This way the whole layout plan becomes a plate of oneness.
