ABN AMRO Bank Head Office
This headquarters complex, designed to express the character and identity of one of the world’s leading banks, fronts on a municipal plaza created by the city of Amsterdam as the main public space of a new district.
Sited in an extremely visible location, the design had to reconcile its identity as a highly secure bank headquarters within a public area. Orthogonal forms in black granite interlock with curved sloped forms of metal and glass, representing the duality of the institution’s image as one that is “powerful, reliable, experienced” and yet “professional, dynamic and international.”
The main tower consists of predominantly standard office spaces, with boardrooms located on the 20th to 22nd floors and a guest restaurant on the 23rd and 24th floors. The lower tower houses offices and special facilities, including a three-story reception hall, 225-seat auditorium, 400-seat congress hall, 20-room meeting center, 500-seat staff restaurant, and a centrally located 600-seat dealing room for securities and international exchange.
Show Facts
Site
2-hectares in the developing Buitenveldert district of south central Amsterdam
Area
120,000 m2 / 1,290,000 ft2
Components
office complex with two towers and Courtyard Building, Dealing Room, auditorium, Congresshalle, meeting center, boardrooms, restaurants, underground parking
Client
ABN AMRO Bank
PCF&P Services
Architecture; exterior envelope; interior design of public spaces
Design Team
Henry N. Cobb, Yvonne Szeto, Michael W. Bischoff
Awards
Top Ten Green Project
American Institute of Architects: Committee on the Environment, 2001
American Architecture Award
Chicago Athenaeum, 2001
Sustainable Design Award
Boston Society of Architects, 2001
Annual Tucker Award
Building Stone Institute, 2001
The towers, both of which are portions of circular rings, curve towards the street and create the feeling of enclosure at ground level. Together, with the amenities buildings, they frame a landscaped court. This court is both the spiritual and physical heart of the ABN AMRO community.
Project Credits
Associate Architect: de Architekten Cie., Amsterdam; Structural: Aronsohn Raadgevende Ingenieurs, BV, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing: Technical Management, Amersfoort, The Netherlands; Lighting: de Architekten Cie., Amsterdam; Associate Architect / Interiors: Studio Merkx, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Images: Luc Boegly, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Daria Scagliola / Stijn Brakkee