Transparency, simplicity and liquidity. These words could easily have been written by the architects at the London practice of Livesey O’Malley to describe the principles behind their design for the headquarters of Commercialbank at West Bay in Doha, Qatar.

Officially opened last month, the building is the first in the Middle East to be constructed with “a full transparent curtain glass system” that regulates the angles of blinds to track the path of the sun throughout the day. Wealthy clients are ushered through the lobby’s glass atrium, to the four-storey Sadara lounge, where banking services are provided.