SmartLAB, Sparkasse Neunkirchen

The Saarpark-Center Neunkirchen is the largest shopping center in Saarland and has long been established in the heart of the city of Neunkirchen as the popular meeting place for all people in the region.

So far, Sparkasse Neunkirchen was represented in the Saarpark-Center with a branch in the classic sense, which was only 200 meters away from its main branch on foot.

"Against the background of changing customer behavior and increasing digitization, we faced the question of how we deal strategically with the location. A new concept was needed, ”says Ulrich Müller, architect of the Sparkasse Neunkirchen.

The following goals were defined with focus on the customer:

• Use of the location with high visitor frequency to use new customers
• Personal support for customers in the multi-channel world of savings banks through so-called “guides”

Offering an innovative and customer-friendly range of services to meet customer needs in the area of ​​service and liquidity simply, conveniently and "smartly" (from the current account "to go" to personal loans)

With the concept: SmartLAB a place was created where the Sparkasse makes the opportunities and the future of banking tangible. Customers can try out how easy banking today and tomorrow's banking work.

The Meeting Point can be used standing or comfortable with stools for advice and presentations or tutorials, even for several people. The guide can mirror his iPad there on the monitor if necessary and, if discretion is required, simply close parts of the glass sliding system.

The possibility of absolutely discreet personal or telephone advice or by video was also considered. The “Think Tank”, a room-in-room solution from Goldbach Kirchner, glazed to the floor, gives the SmartLAB more spatial depth and also offers the user the option of discretely shielding the room.

The otherwise transparent glass panes become opaque at the push of a button.

In order to optimize the perception of the glazing, the joint pattern of the futuristic three-dimensional wall cladding was continued with partially illuminated joints in the form of film strips on the glass surfaces.

Due to the ambitious schedule in the renovation phase, the construction department of the Sparkasse commissioned the banker GI Concept from Filderstadt with the planning and construction.