(PRWEB) April 11, 2006 -- Senior Architect Michael Kirchmann of SOM New York unveils a bright new Vision for the Arcapita Headquarters in Bahrain.
“ The wave’s swells house the buildings two lobbies. ”
A striking new headquarters building designed by Michael Kirchmann, AIA and the SOM Globallabs team at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in New York has been unveiled for the newly branded Arcapita Investment Bank
The dynamic headquarters is one of the centerpiece designs in the Bahrain Bay development in Manama, Bahrain. The high profile projects are set to span residential, commercial and mixed use.
Bahrain is currently undergoing an exciting new development period, with the launch of several distinctive real estate projects. Bahrain Bay was recently launched, an unprecedented waterfront district which will house the Kingdom's only Four Seasons Hotel. Designed by SOM, the project will take inspiration from the worlds' leading waterfront projects.
“Dramatic location and innovative sculptural form are combined in the new Arcapita Headquarters building. The design solution articulates the program in simple, powerful forms. The sculptural form of the building’s base, resembling an arrested ocean wave playfully captured and brought onshore. This structural form literally surges from beneath the bay’s waters to create a rolling, rhythmic plinth that supports a rectilinear bank building above. The wave’s swells house the buildings two lobbies.” says Michael Kirchmann, who was present at MIPIM again this year to introduce the project.
The South Lobby is the main headquarters’ lobby, a captivating and generous space that opens up to the water and along with private sitting areas, interior gardens and exhibition spaces, serves as a striking event area. The North Arcapita Lobby holds an informal conference/mix use area along with an Auditorium that seats 150 people. The façade of the office building is a double skin wall with horizontal louvers in between that not only protects the interiors spaces from the sun and the heat but juxtaposes the crisp building finishes with the wave like podium it seats on.
The 18,000 sqm office space will enjoy significant perspectives in all directions, with localized views to Manama and panoramic views of the marina, bay, and ocean. Its horizontal form thrusts out and over the bay, accentuating views and links to the water. The overall intention is to broaden Arcapita Headquarters’ context and appeal of its corporate name and image.
Portions of this release have been reprinted from MIPIM Architecture news - The world's property market at
http://www.mipim.com. More about Michael Kirchmann can be found at
http://www.michaelkirchmann.com. This release has been posted by Raphi Salem at SalemGlobal Internet, Website Marketing and Interactive PR. More about Salem Global at
http://www.SalemGlobal.com.
