SAXO BANK, Köpenhamn

3XN Architect’s presentation of Saxo Bank Building in Kopenhagen:

Saxo Bank is a young dynamic internet bank with a strong presence in online trading of the global capital markets. The new head offices in Copenhagen are designed by 3XN. Saxo Bank was founded in 1992 in Denmark and employs around 850 staff members of 35 nationalities who serve customers from 115 different countries.

In spite the fact that clients primarily meet their bank in cyber space, the physical gesture of the head office is of great importance to the bank’s management. In part because of the iconographic quality, in part because of strong conviction that architecture and design plays an important role when it comes to the employee’s performance and dedication to the company.

The architecture has Saxo Bank’s cutting edge profile as its point of departure. The lines are exploring the balance between dynamic expression and trustworthy solidity in a close dialogue with planning constraints and intentions. The building is conceived as two logs facing their gable ends to the canal, joined together by a retracted glass facades. The facades are carried out as double curved glass walls.

Inside, a transparent and inspiring environment enhances the sense of team spirit. The open plans centre round a softly shaped top-lit atrium with a winding main staircase. The main room and attraction is the so-called Trading Floor that matches any American stock broker movie when it comes to hysteric action.