ING DIRECT Cafe New York, New York, USA ING Direct is part of ING, one of the world's largest financial services organizations operating in 65 countries. ING Direct operates in seven countries and its core business is simple financial products, including savings account and home equity line of credit. The nature of direct banking does not require branch offices. Taking advantage of low overhead, ING Direct offers the highest rates in the nation with no fees or minimums and has boosted its number of customers in a short period. A small two-story building stands at 45 East 49th Street in New York midtown. The building, with a glass front framed with a bright orange canopy and columns, looks like a fashionable boutique. But if you were told that it was a café run by a bank, you would be intrigued to go in and take a look. In 2000, ING Direct entered the US Market. To make its brand known, the bank decided to open a café as a commercial space. The inside of the café is accentuated with a wide band of orange-colored rubber sheets, which extend from the floors up the walls to the ceiling. The first orange area has a service counter. The staffs who serve espresso are all ING Direct employees well versed in their financial products and capable of thoroughly answering questions from customers who come in to drink coffee and become interested in the products advertised in the brochures. Further back are three PCs on each of the floors, serving as banking kiosks. The computers are not only for opening accounts or transferring money, but also for Internet access, so that you can enjoy net-surfing for free. Visitors can also request to use the lounges and the conference room on the second floor, for free. Seen from the customer's view, the ING Direct Café is another workplace around the corner.           Location: New York, New York, USA     Move-In Date: 2000     Floor Area: 3,600 m2     Workforce:     Building Design: Oskar Nitzcke (1957)     Interior Design: Gensler     Interview Date: 2002.11