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Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) Headquarters
Location
Khartoum
Country
Sudan

Architect/Engineer/Team
Abdel Moneim Mustafa

Construction
1980

Project Status
Built
Building Type
Bank

Notes
The Department of Architecture at the University of Khartoum, founded in 1957 one year after independence, marked the architecture landscape in Sudan. The first generation of architects graduated in 1961, coinciding with the return of those who went for education abroad such as Abdel Moneim Mustafa. This favorable situation, along with a period of stability, gave birth to a local architectural style that came to be known as the “Khartoum school”. The headquarters of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa is a powerful representative of this school, committed to modern principles of technical performance and adaptation to the climatic conditions of the region.
The building offers constructional clarity. A structural grid of columns and slabs hosts a cladding of concrete panels suspended at a distance to allow side lighting and ventilation to the offices. At the core of the building, a void runs at full height providing natural light and inviting passive ventilation. (George Arbid)
Sources

Docomomo n 44 - 2011/1, p.79

Osman, Omer Siddig. 2005. "Sudanese Architecture around Independence." In ArchiAfrika Conference Proceedings: Modern Architecture in East Africa around Independence. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: July 27-29. p.56.

George Arbid, Heritage of Urban and architectural modernities in the Arab world, Kuwait: Unesco World Heritage Center and Arab Center for Architecture, 2015, pp. 42-43

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General view
Source: Abdelmoneim Mustafa
© Photo Ibrahim Z. Bahreldin
Section
Source: Abdelmoneim Mustafa
© Courtesy Abdelmoneim Mustafa