The way we engage with banks is evolving. Edifices of brick and mortar in every town and suburb; the physical Bank, and the transactions we made there were once integral to our daily life. But customer needs have changed.

As technology and digital adoption have advanced, the transactional nature of banking has declined. The role of the bank is evolving towards being more focused on empowering customers to perform their own banking and providing space to have conversations about their finances. Likewise, banks have become more aware of their social and environmental responsibility and minimising their impact through greater sustainability.

This understanding of the changing role of banks informed the ANZ Breathe project. A partnership between Victorian design studio Breathe and ANZ, the project set out to initiate a system of branch fitouts that were environmentally sustainable and easily replicated to meet changing branch requirements. Now several years in, and with more than 40 branches completed, Zenith reflect on the success of this ground-breaking initiative and our ongoing partnership with the project.

The ANZ Breathe modular kit of parts, including meeting rooms, planters and bunkers, was an innovative concept that aimed to reduce installation time, utilize sustainable products, and promote reusability. Using natural materials and incorporating soothing biophilic design, at the end of each tenancy almost all of the branches can be broken down and repurposed.

ANZ engaged Zenith Interiors as a manufacturing and engineering partner, to commercialize the ANZ Breathe Project. With decades of  production engineering and manufacturing expertise Zenith were tasked with developing the production capacity to meet rollout timeframes and also enhance acoustic quality through specific structural changes. With a common mission of sustainability and reduction, the walls and planters were to have no adhesives to allow for reuse or recycling at end of life.

The first task for Zenith was to manufacture a production sample that met the approval of the project team prior to full-scale production. Zenith's expertise in product design and prototyping was critical in producing a sample, which proved to be an immediate success and was approved as fit for purpose for the inaugural branch rollout.

In partnership with Lendlease, Zenith then produced meeting rooms and planter boxes for the first three pilot sites, which would then be reviewed by the ANZ property team. Even with some preliminary challenges the pilot projects were a great success and created a platform for the award-winning ANZ Breathe project roll out.

The next challenge for Zenith was to design and engineer the secure bunkers to meet ANZ's exacting security requirements while also supporting the modular principle of the project. Zenith's design and engineering team worked closely with key stakeholders to develop a product that met ANZ’s strict requirements and modular criteria.

The success of the ANZ Breathe project is evidenced in the many Design and Sustainability awards that the project has garnered since its inception. Zenith's continued partnership with the ANZ Breathe project has now seen Zenith fulfill over 40 branch sites, with more planned.

ANZ Breathe has set a benchmark for retail branch fitouts and has shown that a modular kit of parts can be used to create an aesthetically pleasing environment from sustainable materials that promotes reusability. Zenith looks forward to working with the project team on further iterations that will continue to evolve the product.

Discover more projects from Zenith here