To celebrate architect Alberto Campo Baeza’s receipt of the 2020 National Architecture Award, we revisit one of his most iconic projects: the Granada Savings Bank headquarters, completed nearly 20 years ago.
This institution is the region’s leading bank, located on the outskirts of Granada. Designed by Campo Baeza after winning the competition in 1992, the building was constructed in 2001.
The design features a massive half-cube volume, serving as a landmark example of resolving urban and regional tensions. To address the site’s sloping terrain and differing ground levels, the architect created a large platform bridging two adjacent roads. The cubic structure rests atop this platform, flanked by two courtyards on either side.
The parking lot, courtyards, and bank all share the same platform. Within the central cube, seven floors of office spaces are housed.
The two south-facing facades serve as sunshades, bathing the open office areas in warm light and casting vibrant hues. The north-facing facades are divided by a horizontal band of stone and glass, allowing uniform, continuous natural light to illuminate each office—an essential characteristic of this orientation.
The central courtyard, a true “place of light”, captures direct sunlight through skylights and reflects it off the south-facing alabaster gypsum walls. This reflection brightens the north-facing offices. The roof is supported by four thick concrete columns, reflecting the building’s straightforward and compact functional design.
In essence, this building is a concrete and stone box that harnesses natural sunlight to embody the theme of “a place of light.”
Project Model
Project Drawings
Hand-Drawn Project Sketches
Project Information
Architect: Alberto Campo Baeza
Design Team: Felipe Samarán Saló, Ignacio Aguirre López, Gonzalo Torcal
Owner: Caja General de Ahorros de Granada
Engineering: OHL (A. Padilla), LKS (F. Varela)
Building Area: 40,000 square meters
Design and Construction Timeline: Awarded first prize on July 21, 1992; completed July 1998
Materials: Concrete, Iron, Glass, Stone, Alabaster. Structural frame: reinforced concrete grid (stereotomic box) and iron grid (tectonic box)
Location: Carretera de Armilla s/n, Granada, Spain
Photography by Hisao Suzuki, Fernando Alda, Duccio Malagamba, Alberto Piovano, Roland Halbe.
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