BankMed HQ, Beirut, Lebanon
Client: MedProperties / BankMed
BankMed HQ is a new build headquarters designed by John Robertson Architects for MedProperties located in Beirut, Lebanon. Situated in the heart of the city’s Central Business District, the building forms part of Beirut’s ambitious reconstruction programme. The form of the building has been influenced by the Gabarit, governing heights and sightlines within the city, as well as the surrounding developments including the historic St Elie’s church.
The building aims to reflect BankMed’s corporate image as well as national identity whilst providing the best in workplace design. It takes the form of three pavilions of differing heights linked by an internal courtyard and features a unique façade design to respond to the sun’s path on each side. Spanning 33,000m2, the facilities include highly flexible floorplates to cater for multiple space planning scenarios, three triple height skycourts affording natural light to office floors and a range of staff areas and breakout spaces for wellbeing. At ground level, the building will accommodate a piazza featuring local artwork. The facades will feature high performance glass and solar shading elements comprised of anodised aluminium vertical fins and horizontal glass louvres with ceramic frit. Local stone will be used to landscape the public realm in front of the building and for cladding on the ‘technical’ wall to the rear of the towers and the main entrance hall.
JRA was commissioned to design the headquarters following an international design competition. The building has featured in New London Architecture’s International Insight Study 2017 and was shortlisted for a World Architecture News Award for Future Project 2016.