Asia Financial Center & AIIB Headquarters

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, AIIB, is the first multilateral development bank with head office in China. The financial institution has 103 member states and started its activities in 2016, setting up its head office in Beijing in 2020.

The symmetrical building has been developed from the inside out and closes the central axis through the Olympic quarter. With its stacked, meandering volumes, the structure takes a leaf out of the book of traditional Chinese timber construction. All office areas are grouped around a total of nine lightwells, seven of which are internal, with the central one forming an 80-meter-high atrium. This creates a continuum of open spaces and vistas that lead through the building.

This complex, open internal landscape reinforces the transparency of AIIB and the “sense of unity” of the over 100 nations who want to jointly design their future: the naturally lit inner courtyards serve as shared, informal meeting zones. At the same time, the open sky decks with their varied thematic planting symbolize “gardens of the world”: three of the nine courtyards have been laid out in accordance with traditional Chinese garden design. Furthermore, additional planting includes native trees from the other Asian member states.

The project has already received the national 3-star certificate, the highest-level certificate for green buildings in China, as well as the Platinum LEED certificate.