Palatine Bank

Fontenay-sous-Bois // 6 000m^²

sectorBank

Palatine spares no effort when it comes to excellence.

The strength of this project lies in our exceptional collaboration.

I am very pleased with the architectural project completed by Factory for our bank. Thanks to their expertise and close collaboration with our team, we were able to transform our working environment and envision a modern, welcoming, and bright space that perfectly reflects our identity and brand. The strength of this project lies in the exceptional relationship between the men and women of Banque Palatine and Factory. Our ability to work together harmoniously and efficiently made it possible to realize our vision, engage our employees throughout the project, and create a space that perfectly meets the needs of the Palatine Bank teams.

Alexis MENON
Director of Environment and Purchasing

Founded in 1780, Palatine Bank is a private national bank and a member of BPCE, the leading banking group in France.

For 240 years, with the same commitment to excellence and an unwavering passion for the business, Palatine Bank has primarily supported business professionals, especially mid-cap company executives, fostering win-win financial partnerships.

Offering financing advice, asset management, and wealth management, the bank provides a wide range of tailored expertise to meet the needs of its discerning clients. Palatine Bank also stands out for its sense of proximity and its culture of excellence, which has guided its operations for more than two centuries, driven by its founding motto, "The art of banking."

Reimagining Palatine’s spaces and professional practices.

Faced with outdated and inadequate workspaces for its 600 employees, Palatine Bank sought to bring modernity to its work environment and reunite its human capital, which had been split across two locations.

Additionally, the goal was to create a more attractive workspace for employees, encouraging them to return to the office, which had often been empty due to remote working.

“A multi-disciplinary challenge to reinvent Palatine’s spaces and professional practices.”

In the Val-de-Fontenay business district in Fontenay-sous-Bois, Palatine Bank chose to relocate its headquarters once again, close to its previous location.

A major economic hub in this eastern Parisian district, the Joya building, with its 50,000 m² of space, is a dynamic epicenter featuring numerous infrastructures and services for employees. Restaurants, bakeries, and various communal facilities will be housed within this glass giant.

Thus, the bank has settled on the 6th and 7th floors of this brand-new, BREEAM- and HQE-certified building as its first tenant.

New landmarks for a new home.

This new beginning for Palatine Bank required a comprehensive approach to managing change, involving all teams.

Significant internal changes called for a pedagogical approach and a co-creation process, which we conducted in partnership with “La Fabrique Spinoza,” addressing the concerns and skepticism of employees facing these transformations.

The first key step in ensuring the viability of our architectural proposals was to understand employees’ needs, habits, and daily professional realities. Palatine ambassadors represented the majority through workshops, helping us to gather and understand the specific desires and needs of the bank's various departments.

We focused on the modularity of spaces and the circulation strategy to design smart offices adapted to different job types.

Coworking spaces, open-plan areas, and the Café Club, for instance, offer large, flexible open spaces more conducive to telecommunications and collaboration, while concentration or confidentiality zones allow the management or security-related staff to work more discreetly.

“Functionality was at the heart of our thinking to facilitate employee mobility.”

The idea: break down barriers between teams and relationships to create spaces that everyone can claim as their own, making everyone feel at home everywhere.

Functionality also played a central role in encouraging employee mobility: lockers for personal items, portable chargers available, and an abundance of power outlets integrated into desks and benches.

It was essential to balance the notion of nomadism with the goal of reinforcing corporate culture, to still offer a familiar professional setting for those who affectionately refer to it as “the Palatine home.”

“It was essential to balance nomadism and corporate culture to provide a familiar professional setting.”

Their role: to identify spaces and new uses, then reconnect the bank’s identity markers to the new offices.

The brand’s signature colors were thus incorporated throughout the signage as well as in the architectural and decorative elements, creating a warm yet elegant atmosphere. Creating landmarks was mainly about recreating an anchor point for teams: an environment where they feel comfortable, “like at home.” To this end, noble and raw materials coexist in a subtle palette of warm tones, more organic materials, and black.

Terracotta, wood, and greenery warm up the spaces, while black, brass, and high-end furniture stand out for their elegance. But how do you create a haven rather than just landmarks? By reconnecting teams and fostering emotional bonds and human connections.

“Breaking down team barriers and relationships to create spaces everyone can claim, making everyone feel at home everywhere.”

To this end, tea rooms on every floor, a private terrace, and the Café-Club, the bank’s nerve center, offer spaces conducive to informal moments and shared time among colleagues.

The furniture, inspired by domestic design, reinforces these familiar, cozy markers: portraits, bookshelves, armchairs, and table lamps create a more personalized décor, fostering well-being.

A project with multiple challenges and numerous stakeholders required constant coordination between the various decision-makers and project leaders (CSE, landlord, ambassadors, control office).

Adhering to BREEAM specifications and the constraints of a new building guided the feasibility of all our proposals, while also considering the demanding nature of the banking profession.

Our Engineering team was at the heart of the architectural project to ensure environmental, energy, legal, and safety compliance, considering the sector’s specific risks. In the end, the mission was accomplished, with satisfied employees who are gradually embracing their new professional environment with more ease and confidence.

Summary sheet

sectorBank

area6 000m^²

placeFontenay-sous-Bois

delivery2024

Engaged Expertises

Workplace Strategy.
Experience Design.
Architectural Concept.
Refurbishment.
Furniture and Decoration.

Employee well-being and health
Initiatives focused on the physical and mental well-being of employees, such as relaxation areas, fitness facilities, health and wellness programs, flexible work schedules, and leave policies.
Sustainability and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)
The company's initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint, promote recycling, use sustainable materials, and adopt environmentally-friendly practices.

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