UBL Head Office

NAYYAR ALI DADA & ASSOCIATES

Designation: Project Architect

Project - UBL - Competation Project

Status - Completed

Client - United Bank Limited

Location - Lahore, Pakistan

Program - Commercial/Office

Building area - 16,226 m2

The UBL building concept grows out of its location and its connection to a rich cultural and artistic history of the region. Having studied the dynamics and needs of a corporate building at this particularly visible and significant site, we have arrived at a direction that embraces simplicity and elegance. This direction shall ensure a timeless presence rather than one that pursues trends with a limited life. The building by itself is an expression that shall represent the strength, stronghold and a forward looking competitive approach of the bank and the nature of the corporate environment in the present and future.

The site itself informs the concept of obvious clues such as: There is a road abutting the rear of the plot, which shall be used for services etc; the building front faces North therefore allowing us to use maximum day lighting and enjoying vast views without gaining high temperatures etc. The East and West facades shall eventually be flanked by neighbors, but still have a deep inset

Being on a busy road, the building is set back comfortably and sits on a ‘Podium’. This results in an elegant and ceremonial approach and entry to the building while evoking the experiences similar to some historic monuments in Lahore. The Podium engages the voyeurs and traffic before the building thus presenting the building in a subtle fashion as it sits gracefully on its platform. The Podium is multi functional and while it houses the bank branch underneath, it forms a garden before the building entrance. A garden much needed for environmental and psychological reasons, given the busy and crowded road facing the building. It mitigates noise while creating a view for the building inhabitants. The podium also creates an option for visitors to enter the retail branch below or move up to the corporate center or other UBL offices.

The building exterior is an elegant form that slopes inwards to accept the garden at its base. While it attains a fair amount of height, it provides relief at the top / Executive floor with a terrace wrapped around it providing impressive views of Lahore from the offices and the executive cafeteria. This terrace inherits some landscaping features from the base to reintroduce the experience once again at the top. All sides of the building reflect a purposeful and elegant form that effortlessly relates to its concept. The minimal elements however subtle and quiet eventually create a dynamic entrance court and an overall expression that creates multiple views as one approaches the project from either direction.

Inside the building a similar approach has been taken to introduce scale and purposefulness while providing open office spaces. Lobbies and voids have been composed in a manner to provide spatial and visual stimulus that contributes towards a healthier work environment. A large entrance lobby directs visitors to the upper floors, whereas the Corporate Centre welcomes the visitors into a large double height space surrounded by lounge-like office and seating areas.

The overall impact and expression are befitting for a corporate and financial institution as the design expresses authority in its creativity but in a tastefully subdued fashion. The concept connects to earlier monuments that are time tested and aged gracefully, and takes a step forward to blend today’s technologies, vision, and concerns with solid values present in our history and culture.