Design strategies

Design spaces and emerging trends

Footprint Ranges

Banking retail spaces vary in size, reflecting variations in market strategy, customer profiles and service delivery approach of each institution. These variations are often driven by factors such as location, transaction volumes, and the degree of emphasis on advisory versus transactional services.

On average, the footprint of ground up (GU) branch prototypes is approximately 3,000 sf, representing a standardized baseline for newly constructed locations.

Source: Banks’ Design prototypes

Front of house vs. Back of House

A retail branch area is mainly categorized into Front of House (FoH) and Back of House (BoH) spaces.

Front of House (FoH): The customer-facing portion of the branch designed to facilitate public access and client engagement.
Back of House (BoH): The staff-only portion of the branch for internal staff operations, administrative support and employee amenities.

The average footprint is ~1,800 sf for FoH and ~1,200 sf for BoH.

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FoH accounts for ~60% of the total area while BoH occupies ~40% of the footprint.

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Overview

Retail banking functions

FoH and BoH areas can be further segmented based on its operational purpose and user interaction level.

FoH:

Public space: Customer-facing areas for general access and self-service, including vestibules, waiting areas and corridors.
Consultation: Semi-private or private areas where staff engage with customers for personalized services, such as booths, offices and conference rooms.

BoH:

Staff operation: Workspace where employees perform administrative and transactional tasks not visible to customers, including teller areas, LTOS [KR1] workstations, ATM rooms and vaults.
Support: Functional areas that house essential infrastructure and equipment such as print rooms, data rooms, janitor closets and storage areas.
Amenities: Areas that provide comfort and convenience for staffs, including break rooms and restrooms and wellness rooms.

Overview

Retail size trend

Banking retail spaces have generally been shrinking over the past decade, with an average drop of approximately 6% in overall footprint.

The reduction in space, however, has not been uniform across all functional areas:

FoH footprint has decreased by approximately 13%, reflecting a reduced need for traditional, customer-facing transactional space.
BoH footprint has grown by approximately 4%, indicating the continued need to maintain operational support and administrative functions.

Overall, the change reflects a reduced need for customer facing space and a higher demand for support functions, likely driven by the shift towards digital banking services.

Design elements

Branch design elements play a critical role in shaping customer experience, operational efficiency, and overall space utilization within the retail banking environment.