Construction continues on the new 90,000 square-meters headquarters for the Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad, designed by the late Zaha Hadid alongside Patrick Schumacher back in 2012. Conveying the core values of this national institution – resilience, stability and sustainability – the 170-meter tower is tailored to its very specific conditions within the city. Solid at its base, the bank’s structural facade gradually reduces as the tower rises above the banks of the River Tigris, peeling away in vertical layers to provide external shading to the tower’s double-insulated glazing.

render © Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)

Narrow at its base, the Central Bank of Iraq widens in the middle to optimize the layout and increase efficiencies, and then tapers inwards towards the top. The tower’s grand atrium brings natural light to the heart of the building, opening it to the river. The team at ZHA envisioned the powerful structural exoskeleton as framing the facade which is itself composed of an alternating pattern of open and closed elements that visually and conceptually mimic the light reflecting from waves in the river below, reinforcing the dynamism of the design and serving the practical purpose of providing a variety of areas of light and shade within. The exoskeleton gradually opens and reduces as the tower rises skywards, bringing greater lightness and views across the capitol.

the tower spans 170 meters in height | image courtesy ZHA via Instagram

The exoskeleton peels away in vertical layers towards the river, further reinforcing this key contextual relationship with the Tigris. These layers extend the length of the tower and continue into the podium to connect the building’s separate elements and define the security features of the CBI. The exoskeleton’s inherent fluidity is both structural and architectural, wholly consistent with the engineering and that extends through the entire height of the structure. The bank’s podium weaves hard and soft landscaping together and anchors the building within its context; gradually adjusting its scale through of a series of landscaped terraces and gardens to directly engage with surrounding neighbourhood and manage access to the bank. The vertical layers of the tower’s exoskeleton are transformed to the horizontal podium and subtly re-emerge within the landscape.

image courtesy ZHA via Instagram

an alternating pattern of open and closed elements  | image courtesy ZHA via Instagram

Central Bank of Iraq entrance | render © Zaha Hadid Architects

render © Zaha Hadid Architects

the Central Bank of Iraq HQ rises over the Tigris River | render © Zaha Hadid Architects

project info:

name: Central Bank of Iraq Headquarters

location: Baghdad, Iraq

architecture: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) | @zahahadidarchitects

ZHA lead architects: Zaha Hadid and Patrick Schumacher

local architects: Dijlah Consulting Architects and Engineers

project director: Jim Heverin 

project architect: Victor Orive

project associate: Sara Klomps

project team: Cynthia Du, Danilo Arsic, Electra Mikelides, Fabiano Continanza, Inês Fontoura, Juan Estrada Gomez, Maria Rodero, Ming Cheong, Mohamed Al-Jubori, Muriel Boselli, Osbert So, Peter Irmscher, Rafael Gonzalez, Renee Gao, Sara Criscenti, Thomas Frings project team (DD phase): Ana Cajiao, Andy Summers, Daghan Cam, Danilo Arsic, Electra Mikelides, Fabiano Continanza, Ganesh Nimmala, George King, Inês Fontoura, Lisa Curran, Maria Rodero, Ming Cheong, Mohamed Al-Jubori, Monica Jarpa, Rafael Gonzalez

project team (SD) phase:   Ana Cajiao, Andy Summers, Danilo Arsic, Electra Mikelides, Fabiano Continanza, George King, Inês Fontoura, Mohamed Al-Jubori, Rafael Gonzalez, Sophie Davison

concept team: Charles Walker, Danilo Arsic, Fabiano Continanza, Inês Fontoura, Rafael Gonzalez,

Tiago Correia, Victor Orive

project period: 2012 – TBC

total area: 90,000 sqm

height: 170 m