Banking at HSBC Bermuda is about to get a whole new 21st-century look.

The Harbourview Centre, on the site of the former Trimingham's department store, will open to customers next Monday and give them a facility that looks nothing like any bank ever seen before in Bermuda.

All this week, HSBC staff has been preparing for the opening, ensuring they are ready to 'go live' on Monday, when the current head office at Albouy's Point will close its doors.

Yesterday HSBC allowed the media in for a sneak preview of the six-storey building, which has entrances on both Front Street and Reid Street.

Entering from Front Street, the first thing to strike this reporter was the sheer spaciousness. With escalators allowing effortless ascension to the upper floor, airports and shopping malls sprang to mind, but this building is easier on the eye.

Two sculptures of longtails in flight, by Will Collieson, suspended from the ceiling in the Front Street lobby and three Gombey figures add a distinctly Bermudian feel.

An extraordinary undulating wall, covered in wood panel made from bamboo and bearing a huge HSBC logo is another attractive feature.

'Ambassadors' stationed in large discs marked out on the floor will be there to greet customers and help to guide them to the right place for what they want to do.

While there are cashiers, there are also many electronic banking options, including three cash deposit machines that do not require an envelope, capable of counting up to 50 notes per transaction. There are two US dollar ATMs, nine fully functional ATMs, one coin deposit machine and four Internet banking stations.

On the second floor, the Reid Street level, there is a swish HSBC Premier centre with modern, glass-doored client meeting rooms and a lounge. There are also meeting areas that will be staffed by specialists in mortgages, investments and insurance.

The building is targeted for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification.

Head of retail banking Todd Wilcox explained that most of the wood used in the building was from sustainable forests, including a lot of bamboo.

"The lighting brightens and dims, depending on the amount of daylight coming in," Mr. Wilcox said. "The energy savings are about 30 percent, compared to our other buildings."

Regardless of whether people have business to conduct inside, the building offers an attractive, air-conditioned passage between Front Street and Reid Street. And Mr. Wilcox hopes many people take advantage of that.

"We're hoping every Bermudian comes through over the next couple of months," Mr. Wilcox said. "People who are clients and those who are not can come in and talk to us — the message is that we're here to talk to you, not just cash your cheque."