Striking ceramic murals adorn the banking hall and are one of the highlights of the building.
Distinctive corporate identity
GCM presents a special project report on Arab Bank's new headquarters in Bahrain
01 October 2001
The new headquarters for the Arab Bank embodies its past, present and future. The imposing structure in Bahrain's upmarket Diplomatic Area epitomises history juxtaposed with modernity in the Arab world.
Although the bank is now fully operational in its new prestigious headquarters, having moved into it by April 1 this year, an official grand opening has been tentatively set for the end of October.
Clad in distinctive Jordanian stone, the 11-storey building has been carefully designed to reflect the history of the bank - which has been in business for more than seven decades - in an aesthetic, modern and functional way.
The headquarters has been constructed on a 1,200 sq m plot situated next to the Ministry of Housing building. It offers over 11,000 sq m of built-up area within two basement levels, ground and mezzanine levels and nine upper floors.
The ground and mezzanine floors accommodate the commercial banking section over an area of 1,346 sq m.
The first floor has offices for the commercial branch manager and its credit and marketing departments.
The third floor includes a state-of-the-art conference room which is divisible with sliding folding partitions into three separate meeting rooms. It also has two prayer rooms - one for women and the other for men - a canteen and a library.
In addition, there are meeting rooms on all other levels except for the fifth floor.
The fourth floor has the administrative offices and the information systems centre, which in effect serves as the information hub for all of Arab Bank's branches in Bahrain. The fifth floor accommodates the accounts, commercial services, dealing room and treasury operations while the sixth has the corporate banking, credit risk, economist and project financing and financial institutions departments.
The seventh floor is dedicated for the senior management, audit, financial control and human resources departments.
The second, eighth and ninth floors are left unfitted and earmarked for future expansion.
Elaborating on the reasons behind building its own headquarters in Bahrain, Hani Fadayel, senior vice president and senior manager, says: ''The Arab Bank always nurtured a dream to have its own building in Bahrain, to reinforce its commitment to its Arab customers. However, it had to wait until regulations were in place which allowed the bank to do so. Following the easing of property ownership regulations in Bahrain, Arab Bank was among the first to take advantage of these new rules and purchase a plot of land in a prestigious location in the heart of Bahrain - the Diplomatic Area.
''Bahrain has always been very supportive of our activities. And this building reaffirms our commitment to Bahrain.
''The concept of the building was to reflect the history of the Arab Bank in an ultra-modern setting, as per the directives of our chairman.
''The chairman also indicated that he wanted the structure to be among the best in Bahrain.''
Judging by the feedback received from customers, Fadayel believes these objectives have been achieved.
''Clients have expressed that they don't need to see the logo of the bank to know it is our building. The Jordanian stone, which had been specially imported and used to clad the external facade, has become symbolic of the bank,'' he says.
Another highlight of the building is the ceramic murals used at the entrances. These include two replicas of the first Islamic coins.
Jerusalem holds great prominence for the bank as it had its origins there and several photographs of the city - especially the Al Aqsa mosque - hold pride of place in the headquarters especially on the senior management levels.
Sophisticated mechanical and electrical systems have been installed to ensure safety, security and a comfortable environment for the occupants.
''Our human resources are a key asset and teamwork is very important. Therefore utmost attention has been given to ensuring the interiors are bright, friendly and practical. Practicality is something which is apparent throughout the building,'' he says.
The colours chosen for the interior including carpets are tasteful and out of the norm, being highly conducive to providing a pleasant working environment for the 120 staff in the headquarters. Raised access flooring has been used on all the levels apart from the ground floor to provide greater flexibility for electrical power points.
In addition, due importance has been given to environmental-friendliness. For instance, the air-conditioning system incorporates sensors which adjusts cooling loads according to the number of occupants in a room, he points out.
Finally, the building has made provisions for its future by reserving three floors for future growth.
The headquarters is also a forerunner in the region for Arab Bank being the first purpose-built structure of the bank in the Arabian Gulf. A similar building is now under construction in Doha, Qatar, and the bank intends to build further offices in the region in the future.
The Arab Bank itself is reviewing its strategy to ensure continued growth worldwide with particular emphasis on the Gulf.
