Designing Retail Banking Adaptably and Sustainably

Where retail banking construction goes, overall retail design and construction tend to follow. If banks slow their plans, it may be a sign of caution for the industry, and other retailers may follow suit. When banks are in full swing, hold on tight, it’s often a fast-paced arms race to provide the best environment to serve customers. While the total number of retail banking locations has declined since 2020, there are still approximately 78,000 FDIC-insured retail banking locations in the United States. These locations have continuous demand for new development generated through brand refreshes, M&A consolidation, and general expansion. The need for thoughtful, high-capacity implementation is as important as ever, as retail banking spaces look to improve the customer experience, develop long-term operational resilience, and have flexibility to adapt their spaces to customer needs of the future, and Henderson is at the forefront to provide solutions for longevity. 

Creating Highly Adaptable Retail Spaces 

While many banks are still refining their ground-up prototypes, new-build projects only account for a fraction of the overall design and construction projects for financial services today. With these blank canvases, design firms are often challenged to create a space that is highly flexible and adaptable for future reconfiguration, as consumer needs grow and change over time. Increasingly there is a push for modularity where design components can be repositioned to flex between teller-focused and advisory-heavy layouts without triggering major remodels. 

Branch sizes have also shifted, shrinking from an average of 6,000 SF in 2020 to closer to 3,000 SF today.  Smaller footprints mean a higher need for adaptability. At Henderson, we design retail banking spaces with the future in mind. From power and data to HVAC, we create systems that align with a modular, kit-of-parts approach. The result is a branch that can evolve over time, staying functional and relevant as customer expectations change. 

Sustainability and Building Data to Improve Operations 

We approach every project with a regenerative mindset, designing sustainable spaces that restore, renew, and replenish sources of energy and materials. Retail banks are no different, and the industry is pushing for all-electric designs, utilizing heat-pump HVAC systems and electric water heaters. Electrification not only lowers carbon emissions but also reduces long-term energy costs, helping banks operate more efficiently and responsibly. This, along with energy efficient lighting specifications, helps retail banks reduce their carbon footprint while simultaneously reducing operational costs.  

Retail banks serve as a community touchpoint, and our design process focuses on delivering health-positive environments to provide an engaging and safe space for customers as they make key financial decisions. By modeling building performance, we optimize natural daylighting, acoustics, and clean air delivery to support occupant wellness. 

Henderson supports retail banks in a proactive approach by building systems controls that use data to provide insights into performance, which helps clients leverage tangible results and cost savings. Proactive monitoring helps you catch potential problems before they lead to service downtime, provides key insight into how to optimize your building’s performance, and can save truck rolls from maintenance service providers. 

Designing for Specialty Needs in Financial Services 

Retail banking spaces come with their own unique design needs and real estate constraints. Our rich experience in retail banking helps set up financial institutions for success to build spaces that enrich and serve their communities. 

Real estate procurement is a key hurdle, but complexities related to the Community Reinvestment ACT (CRA) add layers of challenges. Banks are often driven, through basic supply and demand, to take spaces with building systems infrastructure and special geometry challenges.  Several of the top five largest US Banks – Citibank, Chase, Wells Fargo and Bank of America – have established strategic partnerships with national project management groups with retail brokerage ties to help navigate some of these obstacles. This added layer of coordination and accountability can either make or break a rollout effort depending on the ability of all parties to properly communicate. With our proven history of working on complex, specialty projects, we bring the accountability needed to keep every effort on track. 

In retail banking projects, such as an ATM remodel program, one small decision can impact cost and overall success. We know the unique challenges and differences, whether it’s adding more ATMs, upgrading lighting for an existing unit, or designing a secure vestibule. That experience helps us anticipate challenges and deliver solutions that work. 

Building a retail banking project team means bringing together experts who collaborate seamlessly, manage high-volume projects, and act as true partners in your success. We partner with you through the lifecycle of your building portfolio, from planning, designing, building, and optimizing, so your project is not just set up for success, but continues to succeed long into serving generations of customers.