The National Bank of Dubai was one of the key projects by British architect John R Harris, who set up an office in Dubai in 1960, benefiting from the discovery of oil there later that decade.
RIBA | July 2025
In 1959, when British architect John R Harris was commissioned to create Dubai’s first town plan, it was still a small village of traders and fishermen. Harris, who had studied at the Architectural Association before and after the war, already had experience working in the Gulf.
In 1952, in partnership with his wife, he had won the RIBA international competition for the design and supervision of the new state hospital in Doha, Qatar. Their project was selected on the strength of their forward-thinking approach to climate and environmental concerns. In 1960, John R Harris & Partners opened an office in Dubai. Its growth accelerated with the discovery of oil in 1966.
Over the years, they carried out several important projects in the city, including the National Bank of Dubai, completed in 1971. Located near the waterfront and close to the old centre of Dubai, the building was praised for sensitively responding to its historical context. Its elevations were notable for their transparency and their shading devices. The bank was demolished and replaced by a high-rise building in the late 1990s.
Image Credit: Henk Snoek / RIBA Collections
