Sugamo Shinkin Bank by Emmanuelle Moureaux

Horizontal layers of colour protrude out from the facade of this bank branch in Tokyo by Tokyo-based french architect Emmanuelle Moureaux. By night each of the twelve colour bands of the Sugamo Shinkin Bank are brightly illuminated. Three wide light-wells punctuate the interior of the building, which is furnished with coloured furniture and dandelion motif graphics.

The following information is from the architects:

---

Sugamo Shinkin Bank / Shimura branch – open 2011/3

Client: Sugamo Shinkin Bank

Concept: Rainbow mille-feuille

Sugamo Shinkin Bank is a credit union that strives to provide first-rate hospitality to its customers in accordance with its motto: “we take pleasure in serving happy customers.”

Having completed the design for branch outlets of Sugamo Shinkin Bank located in Tokiwadai and Niiza, we were also commissioned to handle the architectural and interior design for its newly rebuilt branch in Shimura. For this project, we sought to create a refreshing atmosphere with a palpable sense of nature based on an open sky motif.

12 layers of color
A rainbow-like stack of coloured layers,
peeking out from the façade
to welcome visitors.

Reflected onto the white surfaces,
these colours leave a faint trace over it,
creating a warm, gentle feeling.

At night, the colored layers are faintly illuminated.
The illumination varies according to the season and time of day,
conjuring up myriad landscapes.