Mauritius Commercial Bank
Ebene, Mauritius
2006-2012

Founded in 1838, the Mauritius Commercial Bank is the oldest Bank in Mauritius and the Indian Ocean region. It has played a leading role at the forefront of its economy and development. Based in the capital city of Port Louis, it outgrew its present headquarters and required expansion into new premises on a site at the centre of the island closer to the living areas of the population. The new building is an ellipse which sits on 4 travertine clad pillars themselves resting on championship golf lawns covering the roofs of the service areas, staff canteen and kitchen. The requirement for an auditorium and lecture theatre informed the design for the need of a sloping floor generating the lower half of the elliptical shape. The upper half of the ellipse accommodates double mezzanines on both sides connecting management on the top floor with departments on the lower two floors. The building was the first in the southern hemisphere to be granted British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification. The building was chosen to represent the best of the architecture of the continent of Africa amongst a total of 5 projects at the International Union of Architects (UIA) 2011 world congress in Tokyo.