The Central Bank of India sits on the corner of one of the most important road junctions in Ahmedabad. You are bound to pass this iconic building sooner or later when exploring Ahmedabad from the back of a rickshaw. It is located between the east bank of the river, the New City, and the entrance to the Old City. The building sets itself apart from its surroundings with its massive concrete presence. On the ground floor there are customer services and ATM facilities. The next level houses a cafeteria. Above this are six more floors of offices, screened by concrete brise-soleil elements. This façade creates the urban identity of the tall building. This project is part of the Architecture Reading Aid Ahmedabad (Ruby Press, 2015). © ARA (Fanelsa, Franke, Helten, Martenson, Wertgen)

In use, the facade has been painted white in 2013, only 20% of the floor space is used by the cooperation, the rest is not occupied.