Cambodia Investment Review
A bold new architectural landmark has risen beside Phnom Penh’s National Olympic Stadium — not only as a flagship banking branch, but as a showcase of how Australian design studio FUTURE is reshaping commercial spaces across the region.
The Australian firm known for its international design portfolio, FUTURE entered the Cambodian market with a vision to rethink the role of physical spaces in a world where digital experiences increasingly dominate. Its latest project — the newly opened Olympic Branch for Maybank Cambodia — demonstrates how architecture can become a competitive differentiator in crowded sectors such as financial services.
A bold visual statement that challenges commercial norms
The foundation of the award-winning design concept was clear from the outset: confidence, visibility and identity. Instead of using safe or conservative tones common across the banking industry, FUTURE leaned into Maybank’s signature yellow — not as an accent, but as a structural statement.
The result is a sculptural yellow façade that wraps the entire building, glowing at night and immediately elevating the street presence of the branch. The motif draws inspiration from Khmer weaving traditions, aligning with the architects’ preference to root contemporary design in local culture rather than importing generic international styles.
According to FUTURE, the aim was not simply to create an attractive building, but to generate a recognisable landmark that reinforces the client’s brand identity in physical form.
Reimagining the interior experience through customer psychology
Where the exterior makes a visual impact, the interior challenges conventions around how people experience banks. Instead of linear queues, waiting rows and service counters, FUTURE designed the ground floor as a “social welcome” space — open seating, café-style layouts, and an atmosphere that promotes comfort rather than throughput.
Every spatial decision — from circulation patterns to meeting room placement — aligns with a single objective: encourage meaningful human interaction. While daily banking transactions have migrated online, FUTURE recognised that relationship-driven services remain crucial to customer loyalty in Cambodia. The Olympic Branch is structured around that insight.
A narrative-driven commercial space: where the tiger’s world shapes the interior
While the exterior confidently leverages Maybank’s signature yellow to create instant street presence, the interior invites customers into a different dimension of the brand. The core idea: the tiger exists not as a logo on a wall, but as a character in its natural ecosystem.
Instead of literal jungle graphics or themed décor, FUTURE translated the narrative through architectural expression:
• Dense layered textures that evoke the depth of forest terrain
• Rhythmic surfaces and patterned materials inspired by the motion of a tiger in its environment
• Contrasting lighting designed to mimic pockets of light filtering through foliage
• Organic curves that soften the rigidity typically associated with financial institutions
The result is an interior environment that feels calm, confident and instinctively familiar — a shift from the high-pressure atmosphere many customers associate with banks.
Commercial architecture that reinforces business strategy
Although the Olympic Branch is the first and most visible outcome of FUTURE’s partnership with Maybank, the firm stresses that the project is part of a broader shift across Southeast Asia. Retail, hospitality, banking and mixed-use developers are increasingly demanding physical spaces that shape behaviour and strengthen brand relationships.
Read More: Future Brings Australian Innovation To Cambodia’s Architecture & Design Sector
FUTURE’s architectural philosophy centres on the value of physical space in an era where digital platforms dominate customer touchpoints. Rather than viewing buildings as static necessities, the firm positions them as immersive brand experiences that deliver what online channels cannot — trust, connection and emotional engagement.
The approach has led to ongoing collaborations with Maybank across multiple regional sites and rising interest from commercial clients seeking next-generation design that blends functionality with identity.
Cambodia as an emerging market for high-concept commercial design
The Phnom Penh skyline is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by domestic and international developers experimenting with new architectural expressions. FUTURE sees Cambodia as a strategic market, not only for real estate development but for organisations reimagining how customers interact with brands offline.
The firm emphasises that its ambition in Cambodia extends beyond landmark projects to contributing to the growth of design culture — one that balances global practice with local context and craft.
FUTURE is currently engaging with brands and developers across Southeast Asia interested in transforming customer experience through human-centred commercial architecture. To learn more about the firm’s work — including the Maybank flagship — or to enquire about new design collaborations, visit: https://www.future.archi/contact
