1. History of bank architecture

Architecture is the ability to see connections. Understanding interior, exterior and outdoor spaces simultaneously.

Understanding of history, present, society, politics and economics. Holistic thinking and understanding. That is what makes architecture so much more complicated than what most people imagine. The checklist in the space programme includes thousands of specifications, but it is far from enough to find answers to each of them. One must also understand to respond to the relationship between them. Responding to the indefinable that glues the points together. In addition, one must intuitively understand what kind of shape one can make out of the functional requirements and the given environment.

You will not become a good architect without having natural talent. But you also to have the ability to listen. Be humble about environment, surroundings, history and human needs. Understanding historical perspectives, psychology, sociology, economics, statics and mathematics at the same time.

It's hard to become a Palladio and Michelangelo today. They had styles to stick to. We have not today. They were raised by wise generations before them. As were craftsmen of those times. Our architects have little time and traditions. Book-knowledge and inspiration is not enough. Therefore, today's architects are often not good enough. Urban planners are in an even worse situation. They should take the lead in seeing contexts, guide architects in holistic thinking. Ensure that the indoor rooms and outdoor spaces play together. Our classical masters showed the way.

But the casino table is often more attractive than the chessboard, both in architecture and in the finance business

Money has no identity. Therefore, it has not been obvious to the world's stock exchanges and banks how to define and symbolize their own identity. Monetary institutions' architecture is a good reflection of that, often using 'stolen' symbols from classical architecture, objects, exaggerated dimensions, etc.

Through the centuries, financial institutions sought to find themselves. But have they succeeded? Not as I see it. I'm actually afraid that their architecture of today indicates that something is wrong with the very money power principles.

The leaders of the Soviet Union, all as one, tried to create communism architectural ideals. Steel and concrete. Distinctive shapes. Power forms. It was like watching the hammer and sickle in the buildings’ architecture.

I see some similar architectural thinking used by the capitalism. Monetary power institutions have tried many 'styles'. Greek columns. Roman ornaments. Gold. Shiny and / or black, opaque facades in mafia-style.

Wall Street and global finance institutions wobble. Maybe the bank architecture of the last 100 years indicated that this would happen, but we did not listen or see?

2. Pre-war banks in Lithuania

The interwar Bank of Lithuania - Maironio str.25, Kaunas. Very impressive architecture of neoclassicism style. The Bank of Lithuania (1924–1938) was designed by Lithuanian professor Mykolas Songaila, though it was an unknown architect from Paris that won the international competition for the project of the bank building in 1924. The French architect’s project was deemed too complex and expensive by the commission. The building is still in a good condition today. There is a small exhibition of Lithuanian banknotes and coins of the First Republic time inside.

The Kedainiai bank of 1933.

Ukio bankas in Utena, 1934.

3. Jewish banks in Lithuania

In pre-war Lithuania, many members of the Jewish middle class, especially the educated strata, who had already experienced to some extent the establishing of Jewish autonomy, mobilized their resources for the strengthening of the social economic basis of the Jewish masses and their livelihood. With the blessing and initiation of the Economics Committee at the Ministry for Jewish Affairs and with the assistance of the “Foundation”, a national financial system was established of co-operative credit societies. By the end of 1920, these were already active in 44 cities and towns and were named “Peoples Bank” (in Yiddish Folksbank). In addition to the positive local economic activity (extending loans etc) they were also of importance in the social and cultural sphere. In a number of places, the community organs and other organizations also used the bank building. There were also cases of the bank granting study scholarships and prizes for cultural activities.

In order to co-ordinate and regulate the activities of the Peoples Banks in time of need and crises and other difficulties, a central institution was established in 1921, formally called the “Central Jewish Bank for the Encouragement of Co-operation.” 71 Peoples Banks throughout the country linked to it, and the number of (dues paying) members reached 11,000. Over the years, the capital assets of the institutions increased, as did also the amount of deposits and savings. Thanks to that, the conditions were eased under which the loans were granted to members and public institutions. In 1930, 85 Peoples Banks existed in Lithuania with 22,262 members. In that year, 11,953 loans were granted to them and to others in a total amount of 10,249,159 Lit (approximately one million Dollars).

Although the Peoples Bank was open to non-Jews as well, this figure was no more than 5%. The work in the offices, the correspondence and the daily work routine was conducted in Yiddish, and this was also true of the national conventions and conferences, which took place every few years. This was therefore, a Jewish banking system spread throughout the cities and towns of Lithuania. At that time, the total deposits amounted to 14,113,413 Lit (approximately $1.4 million), of which 46% came from the members, 16% from institutions and 48% from non-members. If we take into consideration the members families and all others requiring the Peoples Banks' services, and that of its associates, then we can conclude that they served about two thirds of the Jewish population. Unlike the similar Lithuanian banks, which enjoyed cheap governmental credit, the Peoples Banks had to depend on deposits only. In 1933, a special bank was established to assist Jewish farmers (Yiddisher Landwirten Bank).

The central office was in Kaunas with 31 branches spread out in towns through the land.

The Central Jewish Bank. Kaunas, 1923.

4. Banks during Soviet years

I'm not going to use space on bank architecture that applied over the years Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union. But I still wanted to show you, dear reader, a photo I took in November 1990 of a queue I discovered outside a 'bank' in Vokieciu street, Vilnius. Gorbachev had the same day informed that the 50-rouble note would not be worth anything in 48 hours, and everyone ran to their banks to change. I visited this and other banks by then, and still get chills on my back just thinking about how it was ...

After the liberation in 1991, Lithuania inherited the monobank system of the former Soviet Union, with specialized state banks serving specific branches of the economy. They quickly established a central bank at the core of their banking system. They were weak in bank management and lacked staffs with modern banking skills, and no system had an appropriate legal, regulatory, or supervisory framework governing the banks. In some instances fraud and corruption prevailed, encouraged by the relatively permissive regulatory and supervisory environment for banks that existed in the Baltics. All had to decide what to do with the remnants of the Soviet banking system at the same time that they encouraged the growth of the new private banking sector.

Estonia and Lithuania reconstituted the specialized Soviet banks as national state banks and began to privatize them. In some instances the state retains an ownership stake. In Lithuania the state increased its ownership share as part of a rescue effort for some former state banks. Latvia, by contrast, reconstituted the savings bank, then privatized branches of the remaining banks. The residual branches were merged into one bank, rehabilitated, and then subject to formal privatization.

The saving banks were privatized. In the early stages the three private banking systems were similar and grew rapidly. All three have had liberal policies toward licensing new commercial banks, believing that more banks would generate the competition needed to drive down deposit and lending rates, and provide the capital needed to support the emerging private sector.

Many new private banks were established by enterprises that wanted access to cheaper funding than was available from other banks. Little thought was given at first to the implications of this policy for banking safety and supervision.

5. ‘New’ banks in old buildings

Bank of Lithuania headquarters in Gediminas Avenue, built by the order of Józef Montwiłł in 1889–1891. The Bank of Lithuania is the central bank of the country, established 1922. It has the exclusive right to issue the currency of the Republic of Lithuania into circulation and to withdraw it. The principal objective of the Bank of Lithuania is maintain price stability, i.e. as low inflation as possible. In implementing this objective the Bank of Lithuania conducts monetary policy, supervision of credit institutions, management of foreign reserves and performs other functions.

DNB Bank headquarter, Basanavičiaus g. 26, Vilnius centre. Beautifully renovated but hardly practical.

NORDEA bank headquarter, Didžioji g., Vilnius centre. Nicely renovated Old Town building.

SEB Bank headquarter, Gedimino pr 12, Vilnius centre. Nicely renovated building from postwar years.

6. ‘New’ banks in new buildings

DANSKE BANK headquarter, Saltoniškių g. 2, just outside the centre of Vilnius.
A good example of what I earlier called ‘mafia architecture’ – dark windows that cover a shapeless building... Indicates power, money, no transparency... Scary...

SWEDBANK headquarter, Konstitucijos pr. 20A, just outside the centre of Vilnius. Nice building with warm and light colour combinations. But what is the shape supposed to tell us? Two huge loudspeakers? I’m confused...

7. What should characterize a bank building of today, in the outskirts of Vilnius?

I think a combination of genuine, original building materials, such as yellow-brown-red bricks will be a good item to include in today's office and bank buildings outside the centre of Vilnius. In such a way we can pass on the legacy of centuries of good architectural traditions as we find them represented in the Vilnius Old Town. The more modern times may be well represented by a far more modern material, namely glass. Above I show three different ways to combine these two building materials. Distinct, modern, traditional and with dignity...

Remember that what is happening between the buildings is as important as the buildings themselves. It is often so that the way the surroundings are planned determine whether a project is successful or not. Again, holistic thinking. There are somany items you can play with, even outdoors. Think water, fountains, bridges, decorations, ornaments; items that tellsomething about what happens inside the building... And most important of all, all elements must have human dimensions. So that people who come to the building will be feeling well, feeling joy. Also, a bank building should radiate kindness and dignified service attitudes towards their customers ...