RBS Open Experience

Graven and Michael Laird Architects worked in collaboration with the RBS Open Experience teams from both Edinburgh and London. The project involved the development of a new visual and environmental brand, approach and associated workplace and innovation lab environment situated in the former Executive wing at RBS Gogarburn.

RBS’ new Open Experience will be open to the entrepreneurs. This centre of excellence houses a team of experts pursuing innovative new technologies for the bank, working with fintech companies to develop new ideas into customer pilots, as well as searching the globe for emerging trends and tech. Start-ups in the new Hatchery will have access to these experts, their research and thought leadership, as well as their international scouting networks from Silicon Valley, Israel and the UK. They will also be able to learn from RBS’ experience, for instance in overcoming the challenges of implementing new technologies in a large organisation.

The design team created the ‘Open Experience’ name, visual branding and implementation guidelines for RBS’s ‘Solution Centre’ innovation labs in Edinburgh. In these new spaces RBS ‘openly’ and collaboratively hothouses the next generation of banking.

Open Experience is also a place where start-ups and external partners collaborate to develop smart ideas and host events, including hackathons where teams compete to create innovative technological solutions.

This project expanded to include the design of spaces to support collaborative SMART working, engagement and showcasing of new banking solutions. Graven used its bespoke BuildMyBrand process to embed RBS’s values across all media and throughout two and three dimensions.