National Bank of Greece

Heraklion Headquarters, Crete - Greece

Date 2007
Status Completed
Building size 1.000 sq.m
photos by:Jannik Weylandt

The building of the National Bank was designed to house the new headquarters of  the bank in Heraklion, Crete. The site of the project, influenced the architecture of the building in a large degree. It is a promenade site  , as it is located at the junction of two major highways of Heraklion. Ikarou Avenue leads to the airport, and  Kazantzidis Avenue leads to the highway Exit  and the Industrial Area of ​​Heraklion.
The shape of the plot, played a key role in the plan of the building; the Bank's managers made clear the need for the highest possible floor space in the building. Therefore, the plan of the ground floor follows, the boundaries of the land , which created a differentiated system pentagon.The overall design was made according to the specifications of the National Bank and having  in mind the bank's desire for a building that expresses Prestige, Robustness, Safety and Innovation.Externally the building was claded  with Italian Limestone and in  the main facade of the building a large glazed wall made with tension rods, was incorporated.  The main entrance of the building  was treated again with a glazed wall, while a huge beam of 8m length, is suspended on the corner of building. On the second floor, the top floor of the building, has a large canopy to supplement the volume of the building, which also  gives a more dynamic perspective to the building