Located in the center of one of Tokyo’s busiest shopping districts, Olive LOUNGE Shibuya redefines the role of physical banks in today’s increasingly digital age.
SMBC’s familiar zig-zagged “Rising Mark” logo is re-imagined into walls of convex glass panels, the smooth curves of the expanded glass elements creating captivating reflections and subtle visual distortions.
An olive tree immediately welcomes visitors into the first floor — a multifunctional space, divided by overlapping arcs of lawn-like carpeting that seamlessly combines a Starbucks café corner with SMBC’s banking services. Throughout, the colours of SMBC and Starbucks — a palette of greens, gold and rich woods — pay homage to the traditional hues of historical banks. ATM booths are tucked away at the back alongside an SMBC consulting area that doubles as extra cafe seating until 4pm, when a metal fabric curtain encloses the area for bank transactions. The contour of curved bench seating outlines a casual -meeting area, also available for cafe customer use, for bank staff to offer talks and other events.
Beside the staircase, a glass elevator draws attention to and encourages visitors to explore the second-floor Share Lounge's work booths, study tables and window seating overlooking the city. A lowered wood ceiling provides intimacy in a corner section designed to double as an event space. For ultimate focus, an original SMBC bank vault is repurposed into a work booth room, its chunky steel door and bar locks, becoming a whimsical design focus.
Official SMBC banking meetings take place in the basement of Olive LOUNGE Shibuya. Here, Klein Dytham’s doradora modular furniture in a luxurious, forest-green velvet, forms a circular meeting spot to welcome guests ahead of private rooms wrapped in frosted glass. Another vault is left intact as a large meeting room, its hundreds of shiny safe deposit boxes lining the walls for a retro-futuristic aesthetic that, again, pays homage to the prestigious nature of past bank buildings.
Location - Shibuya, Japan
Principal Use - Commercial
Total Floor Area - 1,794m²
All Images - © Nacása & Partners