Location: Lahore
Size: 190,000 Sq. Ft
Completion: 2013
MCB Centre is located on a 32-kanal site, of which about 6-kanals were used for construction. Lahore, with its strong cultural heritage, combined with modernity, connectivity, fluidity and technology representative of the Data Centre, became the basis of inspiration for the design direction. Especially the Lahore Fort, a structure that has persevered through the years. Likewise, ASA aims to make their design work timeless. Built on a triangular plot, the building is designed in the form of a wedge, with its longer side adjacent to the road. The front South facing Façade was kept primarily solid with openings punched in, to reduce heat gain.
Presently, it has offices and training areas on typical floors with an MCB branch on the ground floor. The 8th floor houses the cafeteria, prayer space, and double-height multi-purpose hall designed to house seminars and training workshops. It is designed to be sustainable and maximize energy efficiency; judiciously using principles of solid/glazed ratio to minimize solar gain, ventilated façades, insulated external envelope, use of enthalpy wheel in the HVAC system, grey water reuse and rain water harvesting. The MCB Data Center design speaks of an architecture which responds to its context and is an appropriate blend of both contemporary and traditional aesthetics.