History :
The former Road Ministry building, now the headquarters of the Bank of Georgia in Tbilisi, was
constructed between 1972 and 1975. Its unique, interlocking design is a celebrated example of Soviet-era Brutalist and Metabolist architecture, inspired by the "Space City" concept of leaving as much ground space to nature as possible .The building was designed by architects Giorgi Chakhava and Zurab Jalaghania, with engineer Temur Tkhilava. Chakhava was Georgia's Deputy Minister of Highway Construction at the time, making him both the architect and the client for the project.In 1967, a 1.5-hectare plot of rugged, rocky terrain on the outskirts of Tbilisi was chosen for the building.
Chakhava selected the site specifically to make the structure a prominent landmark for people entering and leaving the city.
Chakhava's design was based on his patented "Space City method," which envisioned a city with elevated structures that freed up space on the ground for nature. He likened the building's concrete towers to tree trunks and the horizontal office blocks to the crowns of trees.
The central Soviet authorities in Moscow had a project budget limit of 3 million rubles for satellite republics. The building's estimated cost was 6 million rubles, so Chakhava and his ministry creatively manipulated the budget by sourcing materials and labor from different ministry departments to get the project approved and completed.
The building's gravity-defying cantilevered structure presented significant engineering obstacles. The original plan had to be modified because no crane in Georgia could lift the massive reinforced concrete consoles to the required height. A new concept was devised using metal trusses to suspend the consoles.
The structure received immediate and positive international attention, featured in publications such as Time, Domus, and Process: Architecture. It was also included in the Museum of Modern Art's 1981 exhibition "Transformations in Modern Architecture". In 1980, the Soviet authorities formally recognized the building by awarding the design and construction team the USSR State Prize.The building was recognized internationally soon after its completion in 1975, with articles appearing in various publications, including the Japanese magazine Process: Architecture.
In 2007, the neglected building was designated a monument of immovable cultural heritage.Later that same year, the Bank of Georgia purchased the building to serve as its new headquarters.
Renovation:
The renovation of the building between 2010 and 2011 was conceived as a dialogue between its historic identity and contemporary functional demands, in close collaboration with one of the authors of the building Zurab Jalaghania. Central to this intervention was the challenge of optimizing circulation for a workforce of 800 to 1,000 employees within a highly constrained and unique structural form. The building's footprint, consisting of only three tower touch points measuring 12m by 12m each, on the ground floor, resulted in a limited and disconnected ground-level presence lacking a unified and welcoming lobby space.
To reimagine the building’s spatial hierarchy, we introduced a new main lobby and conference facilities, strategically located in the former back-of-house basement beneath one of the towers. This subterranean intervention features a precisely calibrated opening 12m by 12m aligned with the tower footprint, creating a visual and spatial connection between above and below. A glass canopy structure atop this opening extends the building’s form into a transparent, light-filled atrium, symbolically continuing the building’s narrative of growth and transformation.
This architectural gesture embodies a metaphoric "metabolism" a dynamic process of adaptation and renewal paying homage to the building’s original conception. The transparent connection signifies an ongoing dialogue between past and future, suggesting that from this nexus, a new tower could rise a future chapter built upon the foundations of the existing structure. The design aspires not only to enhance functionality but also to evoke a sense of continual evolution, emphasising transparency, openness, and the limitless potential for architectural renewal.