Photos reveal Zaha Hadid Architects’ Central Bank of Iraq nearing completion

By Starr Charles

UK studio Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed photos of the Central Bank of Iraq skyscraper nearing completion on the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad.

The images show the completed twisting exoskeleton frame of the 170-metre-tall structure designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, which is now the tallest building in the city.

Being built on the banks of the Tigris river, the reinforced concrete skyscraper has a narrow base, widens slightly at the middle before tapering inwards at the top. It is set back from the river on top of a large podium that occupies an entire city block.

The building’s facade is framed by a structural exoskeleton composed of ripples that form patterns of open and closed elements. The structure was designed to “mimic the light reflecting from waves” on the adjacent river while shading the glazing.

According to the studio, the bank will feature a grand atrium that will draw natural light into the building as well as open up the space towards the river. Additionally, openings at the building’s wider middle levels will have views across the city.

The building’s podium base features a similarly dynamic design to the tower and will contain a series of landscaped terraces and gardens that aim to engage the building with its surrounding context.

Designed by the studio’s late founder Zaha Hadid alongside Patrick Schumacher, the building was commissioned in 2010 by the Central Bank of Iraq.

Though still under construction, the tower is now the tallest building in Baghdad and the second tallest in the country. When it opens it will contain 90,000-square-metres of internal floor area.

According to the studio, the design for the headquarters reflects the institution’s core values of “resilience, stability and sustainability”, with these values “mirrored by the historic importance of the river on which the [Central Bank of Iraq] stands”.