Construction work on the new Citibank regional headquarters building in Bahrain is progressing on schedule for completion in March, according to the Mohamed Salahuddin Consulting Engineering Bureau (MSCEB), the consultant on the project.

The prestigious development in the Seef District near Al A'Ali Complex, which incorporates a mixture of Western and Arabic-style architecture, will house the various operations of the bank and its associate companies under one roof. It will accommodate around 300 people.

The building consists of a ground floor and seven upper floors, and another out-building to house the services. There is also a partial basement housing the security vaults and water tanks. The total built-up area is approximately 11,400 sq m including the basement.

The main building is curved in plan and comprises a RCC (reinforced concrete)-framed structure founded on concrete piles. The external cladding consists of insulated precast concrete panels, with an acid-washed finish and of beige colour to match desert sand, and structural glazing with green tinted glass. The roof slopes from one end to the other, with the roof element providing an additional interesting elevation to the building.

Two glass-walled mashrabiyas accentuate the elevation on the prominent north elevation and over the entrance at the portal area. A glass-enclosed atrium (both walls and roof) on the southern side provide the main entrance to the branch on the ground floor and offices at upper floors and the circulation area.

The external work consists of extensive paved car-parking for both employees and visitors, accommodating more than 200 vehicles, and is landscaped with palm trees and shrubs.

The interior of the building is designed to reflect the corporate image of the Citibank, considered to be one of the top 10 banks in the world.

The building services include fire-detection and alarm system, a building management system (BMS) and security and access control system, in addition to plumbing, electrical, air-conditioning and fire-fighting (sprinklers and wet riser) systems.

The building is also provided with standby dual output system (combined diesel generator and rotary UPS) to provide emergency and uninterrupted power supply.

In order to conserve water, a grey wastewater treatment plant is to be installed, with the treated water being used for irrigation and toilet-flushing.

The detailed design, working drawings, tender documents and construction administration is being done by MSCEB which has undertaken similar building projects for many other banks including Bahrain Islamic Bank (BIB), Arab Bank (Bahrain and Doha) and Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait.

BWS Middle East is the clientÕs representative and also the quantity surveyors for the project.

The piling works were executed by Keller Gmbh and the main structure and finishes, including all services are being carried out by Cybarco, Bahrain.

The construction of the project has been taken up in two phases with piling completed in the last quarter of 1999. The construction for the basement and main structure commenced on January 28 last year and the works are presently on schedule.

The estimated overall cost of the project including furniture and fit-out is around BD10.0 million ($26.5 million).