Description

The Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, commonly known by its acronym, BADEA, traces its origins back to the formation of the Arab League. Sudan joined the league just two weeks after its independence in January 1956. The bank was established by resolution at the 6th Arab Summit conference in Algiers in November 1973, and began operations in 1975. Khartoum was seen as an appropriate location for the bank due to its location. It is owned by eighteen member countries of the league, and, according to the bank’s website, “is an independent International Institution enjoying full international legal status and complete autonomy in administrative and financial matters. …The Bank was created for the purpose of strengthening economic, financial and technical cooperation between the Arab and African regions and for the embodiment of Arab-African solidarity on foundations of equality and friendship.”

Architect Abdel Moneim Mustafa (1930–) was entrusted by a letter dated 21 December 1976 with the planning, design and supervision of construction of the Headquarters of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa. The design requirements asked for a centrally air-conditioned office block of 4,200 square metres with five departments of varying sizes and a basement, with possibilities for future expansion. The office units have different footprints that are multiples of 16 square metres. A club and residential premises of 600 square metres were also required on the plot.

The Department of Architecture at the University of Khartoum, founded in 1957, i.e. one year after independence, marked the architecture landscape in Sudan. The first generation of architects graduated in 1961, coinciding with the return of those who went for education abroad such as Abdel Moneim Mustafa. This favourable situation, along with a period of stability, gave birth to a local architectural style that came to be known as the “Khartoum school” (Arbid, n.d.).

The headquarters of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa is a powerful representative of this school, committed to modern principles of technical performance and adaptation to the climatic conditions of the region.” Today, Abdel Moneim Mustafa is considered the father of modern architecture in Sudan who also designed a number of other important buildings in Khartoum (Osman, Bahreldin and Osman, 2021, p. 88).

The bank building expresses its tectonics clearly. It is a reinforced concrete structure of a regular grid of columns and slabs, with an early example of the use of precast concrete panels on its exterior. The panels are suspended outwards, giving the appearance of stacked cubes, to allow light and ventilation discreetly in through their sides. A void in the centre of the building also provides natural light and passive ventilation without admitting harsh sunlight.

The main bank building is a five-storey block almost square in plan. The height suits its location within downtown Khartoum well, and the number of storeys aligns with the departments required by the Bank. The clubhouse is a smaller two-storey building on a diagonal grid, with a lounge on the ground floor and bedrooms above.

The building today retains much of its original form and features. Both the main bank building and the clubhouse sit within the walled trapezoidal site, with the original main and ceremonial entrances retained. Both buildings have been extended with mixed success in sensitivity to the original design.
The site and its buildings are well-used and well-maintained both internally and externally. In 2015, the building underwent a major renovation and an extension was added. The extension to the main bank building and the renovation of its façade are harmonious and well-executed but, crucially, have changed the colour of the concrete panelling from its distinctive and weather-compatible rich brown to a generic and characterless cream. The extension itself has a glazed curtain-walled north façade which is entirely in contradiction to the principles of shading and filtered light of the original building. The clubhouse has also been extended and the outdoor swimming pool is no more.

The design of the bank utilised modern construction methods such as the reinforced concrete structure, and was, more importantly, one of the first applications of precast concrete panels in Sudan for its façade. The form of the building contributed heavily to the comfort levels of the interior, an example of passive climate technology. The building and the establishment of the bank signifies the level of Arab cooperation at the time, coinciding with the founding of several other institutions. Sudan was chosen as the headquarters for this bank clearly due to its geographical and cultural location characterised by overlapping of the Arab and the Sub-Saharan worlds.

References

Akcan, E. (2022). “Decolonize or Redistribute? Abdel Moneim Mustafa and Mid-Century Modernism in Sudan”. Montreal: The Canadian Centre for Architecture. https://www.cca.qc.ca/en/articles/85227/decolonize-or-redistribute-abdel-moneim-mustafa-and-mid-century-modernism-in-sudan

Arbid, G., “Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) Headquarters”. Arab Centre for Architecture. https://arab-architecture.org/db/building/arab-bank-for-economic-development

Modern Sudan Collective. https://www.modern-sudan.com

Mustafa, A. (1977). Design report. Private collection of Hayder A. Ali. Hayder Ali Architects, 6W Alsharif Al Hindi St., Khartoum, Sudan.

Osman, O. S. (2005). “Sudanese Architecture around Independence”. In: ArchiAfrika Conference Proceedings: Modern Architecture in East Africa Around Independence. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: 27–29 July, p. 56.

Osman, O. S., Bahreldin, I. Z. and Osman, A. (2021). “Sudan“. In: P. Meuser and A. Dalbai (eds.), Architectural Guide. Sub-Saharan Africa (Vol. 4: Eastern Africa: From the Sahel to the Horn of Africa). Berlin: DOM Publishers, pp. 42–105.

Osman, O. S., Osman, A. O. S., and Bahreldin, I. Z. (2011). “Architecture in Sudan: The Post–Independence Era (1956-1970). Focus on the Work of Abdel Moneim Mustafa.” In: Docomomo Journal, 44, 77–80. https://doi.org/10.52200/44.A.DQKNX1LV

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Originally published in: Uta Pottgiesser, Ana Tostões, Modernism in Africa. The Architecture of Angola, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Birkhäuser, 2024.