UK-based Zaha Hadid Architects has released photos of the Central Bank of Iraq skyscraper, which is approaching completion on the Tigris riverbank in Baghdad.
The images showcase the finished twisting exoskeleton of the 170-meter-tall building, now the tallest structure in the city.
The photography is courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects.
Situated along the Tigris river, the reinforced concrete skyscraper features a narrow base that expands slightly in the middle before tapering at the top. It stands on a large podium that spans an entire city block, set back from the river.
The building’s facade is enclosed by a structural exoskeleton with ripple-like patterns, creating a mix of open and closed elements. This design is intended to “mimic the light reflecting from waves” on the nearby river while also providing shading for the glass surfaces.
The photography is courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects.
The studio states that the bank will include a grand atrium designed to bring natural light into the building while opening up the space towards the river. Additionally, openings at the building’s wider middle sections will offer panoramic views of the city.
The podium base of the building shares the tower’s dynamic design and will house a series of landscaped terraces and gardens, intended to integrate the structure with its surrounding environment.
The building, commissioned by the Central Bank of Iraq in 2010, was designed by the studio’s late founder, Zaha Hadid, in collaboration with Patrick Schumacher. Although still under construction, the tower has already become the tallest building in Baghdad and the second tallest in Iraq. Upon completion, it will offer 90,000 square meters of internal floor space.
The photography is courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects.
According to the studio, the design of the headquarters embodies the institution’s core values of “resilience, stability and sustainability,” with these principles “mirrored by the historic importance of the river on which the [Central Bank of Iraq] stands.”
In other projects, Zaha Hadid Architects has recently finished a 36-story skyscraper in Hong Kong, located on a site that was reportedly the world’s most expensive when purchased in 2017. The firm is also nearing the completion of a series of interconnected office towers in Shenzhen.
