Foster + Partners has completed the new headquarters for the National Bank of Kuwait, a 300-meter skyscraper with a distinctive presence among the buildings of Sharq, Kuwait city's growing financial district. The new tower promotes employee synergy and enhanced wellbeing by bringing all of the bank’s corporate employees together under one roof. The design combines environmentally-conscious features and structural innovation, providing an energy-efficient passive architecture that shields the offices from the extremes of Kuwait's climate.
The tower’s distinctive silhouette creates wider floorplates towards the top, offering panoramic views of the surroundings. Sixty-three floors are all punctuated by sky lobbies, providing gathering spaces and meeting facilities for staff. Upon entering the building, an 18-metre-high lobby at the base of the tower invites employees and visitors in. The 18th floor features a double-height restaurant, the 19th floor features a state-of-the-art gym, a unique ballroom and auditorium are situated on the 38th floor, accompanied by panoramic views of the bay and the city. These communal areas are complemented by the chairman’s club in the soaring volume at the tower’s apex, lit by a distinctive skylight that traces an arc through the space.
The building's curved façade on the northern side reveals the panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf. A series of concrete fins are integrated along the sun path and extended across the full height of the tower, providing structural support and shading. The design maximizes floor space on the upper floors by tapering the floorplates inwards towards the base, and provides self-shading with the overhanging floorplates above the offices below. By using both passive and active measures to reduce water consumption, energy use is minimized and the indoor air quality is improved.
The form we’ve developed for the tower is driven by the needs of the bank and the internal spatial arrangement is tailored to its organizational requirements, whilst providing flexibility for future change and growth. We have created a customized working environment where everybody has their own unique space. -- Nikolai Malsch, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners
The innovative twin-lift strategy minimizes the size of the cores to increase the net usable floorplate area. The project's interiors also designed with bespoke furniture and lighting. The boardroom features distinctive elegant blown-glass pendent lights designed by the practice’s industrial design team, which form a cloud-like cluster above a grand 13-metre board table.
