The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) is to construct a 42-storey building for its headquarters in Addis Ababa. The building will be the tallest building ever in Ethiopia. The design is expected to represent CBE’s status as world class bank and portray its strength.
Solidity meets transparency. One of the fundamental values in banking is trust. Solidity and integrity are as much a part of trust as transparency and proximity to the customer. This duality finds expression in the mixture of open and more closed elements of the design. On the longer sides of the slender office tower, a gap opens in the curtain facade to reveal the interior of the building. The reduced reflection of the glass skin here permits a contrasting glimpse inside the building – the treasure box. The vertical shift on the towers east façade frame the main entrance of the building, the same element opens the west-façade for breathtaking views over the city. The tower is accompanied by a conference center and a shopping mall. The buildings cluster around a sunken landscaped plaza.

Client: Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
Year: 2009
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Program: Offices, Conference Center, Commercial Center
Status: Competition, 1st Prize
Design Team: Maximiliane Groha, Martin Henn, Markus Jacobi, Max Schwitalla, Fredrik Werner
Local Partner: Universal Consultants
Consultants: Happold Ingenierbüro GmbH, Priedemann Fassadenberatung GmbH, Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH