The flagship store of HSBC in Canary Wharf, at the base of the Canada Square tower, is an exciting experimental branch that tested a lot of the new fixtures and fittings prior to the release of a new Design Guide to help inform the roll-out of certain elements to the rest of the branches nationwide. The original brief included a lot of smart technology such as touch screen coffee tables, a digital library reception unit, digital screens built into the pods and at one point even a robot was considered, however with budget limitations none of these came to be. Working with the Canary Wharf landlord proved to be difficult, so along with the usual pressures of a refurbishment we had to deal with stipulations with regard to M&E design, sprinkler systems etc. Working closely with the contractor GB Farrar and the M&E contractors RJ Stearn, we managed to overcome any challenges and deliver a branch that has received fantastic feedback from HSBC.