SOM044

National Commercial Bank of Jeddah

Design/Completion 1979/1983

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

National Real Estate Company of Jeddah

766,000 square feet

Concrete

Precast concrete faced with travertine

The site for this project is a three-acre plaża on the edge of the Red Sea.

The project’s geometry consists of a triangular 27-story office tower juxtaposed with a six-story circular garage. The configuration of the site and local climatic conditions generated the overall form of the complex.

The verticality of the bank tower is interrupted by three dramatic triangular courtyards chiseled into the building’s facade. Two of these courtyards, each seven stories high, face south towards the old portion of the city and the Red Sea. The third nine-story courtyard faces north-west towards the sea. Office Windows open directly onto these courtyards with an inward orientation typical of Islamie traditional design.

Interior spaces feature exquisite materials and fmishes including black granite and marble. Dining facilities include a luxurious executive dining floor and a colorful employee cafeteria.

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1    Site plan

2    The garage structure from above

3    General view

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