National Bank of Dubai
One of my favourite movie quotations says: “follow the money”. Yes, if you follow the money you will find many dirty jobs, but also great things like amazing buildings and impressive architecture because those who have it, the money, want something nobody else has ever had or seen. That is why we can witness nowadays an amazing number of great buildings in Dubai, where the money flows thanks to the oil business. Well, they thought big even from the 1990s when this building was designed by the architect Carlos Ott from NORR International.
It was finished in 1998 and now it is an iconic image of Dubai. It is 125 metres (410 ft) tall and is said to be the tallest building that houses the headquarters of a bank. It has a very interesting architecture because it combines the modern style with some traditional features. Even the shape of this building was inspired by the shape of some local sail boats called dhows. The main body is the tower that supports the curved structure that was inspired by the sail. Everything was respected in detail, even the air gap between the tower – the mast and the curved part – the sail. The latter is covered in glass and just beautiful. Even the hallway beneath the whole structure is covered with green glass to embody the sea.