NBK releases the documentary "The Path Towards A Sustainable Future"

An architectural icon symbolizing a journey of excellence, and a present of development and leading institutional work

A continuation of dedicated efforts started seven decades ago by national merchant families who anticipated the future

An architectural edifice and the key achievements of NBK’s management, accentuating its proactive and insightful vision

A reflection of our future vision aimed to strengthen our leadership and to maintain the course towards sustainable growth

A cornerstone of our sustainable development strategy and a beacon for modern architecture

The building’s design and implementation were in line with LEED Gold requirements, the leading green buildings standards

Huge improvement in energy and water consumption and GHG emissions since we moved to the new headquarters

Our keenness to provide an integrated work environment accommodating employees’ innovation and self-realization

A key landmark of the Financial District in the heart of Kuwait City

Underscoring its unwavering efforts towards achieving a future of sustainable growth, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has released the documentary narrating the construction journey of its new headquarters, whereby NBK presented a role model of sustainable modern architecture that will become a source of inspiration for all outstanding works of engineering for many years to come.

In the 35-minute documentary, the project executives present all the details, challenges, critical moments and difficult times that the work team consisting of 2,000 workers, engineers and administrators, succeeded in transforming into successes accumulated over 21 million working hours that translated the idea into a reality and a new headquarters for the bank, and gifted Kuwait with an outstanding architectural icon.

All the details of the documentary reflect the main objective of building the new headquarters of the bank, which did not compete to be the tallest and most glamorous, but rather focused on creating a sustainable and green headquarters the bank, bringing all employees under one roof to provide them with a work environment accommodating innovation and excellence    .

With the completion of the works, the bank's new headquarters, which rises 981 feet tall divided into 63 floors, with a total area of 1.36 million sq. ft, has become one of the new landmarks of the financial district in the heart of Kuwait City.

NBK’s management is proud of the completion of the new headquarters, not because it is a high-rise and outstanding building, but because it symbolizes a long history of excellence, a present of development and leading institutional work that provides a role model for modern banking entities, and also reflecting a futuristic vision to consolidate the bank’s leadership and maintaining the course towards sustainable growth.

This edifice is one of the key achievements of NBK’s management, which accentuates its proactive and insightful vision and prudent policies, which make the bank always able to overcome any challenges and sustain growth. It is also a continuation of the sincere efforts started seven decades ago by Kuwaiti merchant families who anticipated the future by establishing a national banking entity that was always an active contributor in promoting national growth and prosperity.

The new headquarters also represents a cornerstone in NBK’s integrated strategy to achieve sustainable development, a beacon for all in the field of modern architecture, and a role model for green buildings, as the building was fully designed and implemented in line with LEED Gold requirements, the leading green buildings standards.

Over one year after the employees moved to the bank’s new headquarters, all energy and water consumption ratio and GHG emission have improved.

Additionally, in line with NBK’s belief that employees are its most valuable resource, and the key pillar for its sustainable success, the bank was keen that all the elements of the building integrate to provide them with a work environment accommodating innovation and self-realization, and to give them the privacy and all the necessary tools for development and increasing efficiency at work.

NBK’s unwavering efforts in the sustainability area over the past years were appreciated by FTSE Russell which selected the bank to be a constituent of its FTSE4Good Index Series, as the only Kuwaiti bank to be included in the prestigious sustainability index. NBK was also listed on Refinitiv AFE Low Carbon Select Index in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) launched in cooperation with the Arab Federation of Exchanges (AFE).

You can watch the full documentary on the following link:

Youtu.be/9po-f2NFXtw 

An architectural painting in all its details

The preparations of the engineers in charge of the designs and implementation at all construction stages of NBK’s headquarters were similar to the reflections of creative artists before making their most important works, which can be seen by everyone in all corners of the building, with the exceptional design and meticulous implementation.

The building’s exterior design shows innovative ways to use structure as part of controlling the environment, with 28 fins used for shielding the building from individual direct solar gain in the offices, with its blades soaring to the sky making it actually feel quite solid and prominent.

On the other hand, all the stones used in the building are brought from the city of “Carrara”, whose stone has been used by the most famous architects in the world, this is an area that has been traditionally used for the stone industry since Roman times. Michelangelo was taking material for his architectural and sculptural work in this area.

NBK’s headquarters.. a role model for sustainable green buildings

NBK’s new headquarters is not just a abuilding standing a colossal 300 meters tall, with an innovative design that makes it one of the key landmarks in the financial district in the heart of Kuwait City, but the real achievement is combining this innovation with creating a model for sustainable green buildings, as reflected in the following key facts about the building:

- 34% energy saving and 40% lower water consumption

- A large amount of open space, accounting for 60 per cent of the building’s land footprint

- 100% energy-saving light-emitting diode (LED) lighting

- 20% of all material used is recycled material

- Thermal energy storage, chilling ice overnight for use in the tower’s air conditioning during the day

- Under-floor air conditioning on all floors

- A Grey water recycling system for EWC flushing, and an energy-saving light management system

© Press Release 2021