Description
H & M Country Head Office at Kamal Ataturk Avenue, Banani is an outcome of a rational design approach in a challenging urban setting. The surrounding area of Banani is a busy commercial area in Dhaka, occupied by compactly built forms. The trapezoidal site is accessed by Kamal Ataturk Avenue to the south with an adjacent lake to the west. The thirteen-storied building provides office space with relevant modern amenities and varied open spaces like a garden, roof deck and terraces. The LEED Gold-certified office building possesses sustainable features including a sophisticated façade, solar panels and maximum daylight efficiency.
The building and its amenities are woven into the urban fabric of the upscale Gulshan–Banani neighborhood. The entrance of the building features a double-height space with green in the front, providing the entrants with a congenial ambiance. Aluminum louvers in the south façade render horizontality for the building making it congruent with the surrounding urban context. Vertical fins juxtaposed with the horizontal members make the façade well proportioned. The louvers filter light into the interior workspace, minimize solar glare and heat gain yet floor-to-ceiling glass optimizes daylighting and offers pleasant views of the cityscape.