The National Commercial Bank is the largest privately owned bank in Saudi Arabia. Set in a three-acre plaza on the edge of the Red Sea, the geometry of the 766,000 sf headquarters building consists of a triangular 27-story office tower juxtaposed with a six-story, 400-car circular garage. The verticality of the bank tower is interrupted by three dramatic triangular courtyards chiseled into the building's façade. Office windows open directly onto courtyards with an inward orientation typical of Islamic traditional design.

Project Facts

Completion Year: 1983
Site Area: 3 acres
Project Area: 618,000 ft²
Building Height: 415 ft
Number of Stories: 27

Project Awards

1985 • AIA - New York State • Award
1987 • AIA • National Honor Award for Architecture