ARCHITECTURAL WORLD

Designed by Clorinda Testa; completed 1966 The Bank of London and South America, located on a congested corner of Bartolomé Mitre in Buenos Aires, is one of the most significant buildings in Argentina and a landmark achievement in concrete construction. Designed by Clorindo Testa in association with SEPRA architects, the introverted building presents a robust concrete facade that belies a seductive and subdued labyrinthine interior. Set within a context of formal neoclassical architecture from the 19th century, the cleverly orchestrated design mediates between the busy and crowded Argentinian streets and the methodical operation of the bank headquarters. It compliments the urban fabric in a manner that is both charismatic and controlled. The building was constructed at a time of tremendous economic turbulence in Argentina, resulting from political changes internally and the rampant tension across Latin America that had culminated in the Cuban revolution of 1959. The election of Arturo ...

Designed by I.M.Pei and Partners; completed 1989 Hong Kong Notable for its place in the late-20th-century skyline of Hong Kong, the Bank of China Tower, the headquarters of the Bank in Hong Kong designed by I.M.Pei and Partners and completed in 1989, is located two blocks away from the old bank building in central Hong Kong island. Surrounded by major roads on three sides, the tower rises from a square footprint placed at the center of the small two-acre trapezoidal site. Measuring 1,209 feet to the tip of the twin masts in 70 stories, the tower was the tallest structure outside the United States at completion. The building is acclaimed for its elegant form and structural ingenuity. The tower can be divided into two parts: the curtain-walled shaft resting on a three-story granite-clad base. The base, with a castellated top, is designed to give the building visual protection from the chaotic surrounding of major roadways. The allusion to an ancient Chinese city wall in the design of the...