Foster + Partners has unveiled its design for Sudameris Plaza, the new headquarters for Sudameris Bank in Asunción, Paraguay. Selected through an international competition, the 39-story, 615-foot-tall tower is poised to become the tallest building in the country.
“We are delighted to be working with Sudameris to create a new green landmark in the city,” said the head of studio at Foster + Partners David Summerfield. The elegant tower rises up from the green, shaded gardens at its base, creating an exciting new destination with cafes, shops and social spaces that are completely immersed in nature.”
Sudameris Bank traces its roots to the Banque Française et Italienne pour l’Amérique du Sud, founded in Paris in 1910 to support European interests in South America. The Sudameris name was adopted in the late 1970s and survived the parent group’s dissolution in the early 2000s. In 2023, it became Paraguay’s largest bank by assets after acquiring Banco Regional, another domestic bank. In Foster + Partners’ design, Sudameris Bank will occupy the first six floors and the top two levels of the tower, while the floors in between will be leased as commercial office space.
For the project, the global architecture firm is focusing on “restrained elegance and timeless form,” said Foster + Partners senior partner Niall Dempsey. The current renderings of the building depict a series of rectangular concrete frames that rise and curve over a central glass core. The project includes not only the high-rise office building but also a landscaped plaza, art gallery, auditorium, and a large public garden at the base.
The design prioritizes green space and accessibility, with a double-height lobby and covered walkway leading to a central garden surrounded by lowrise shops, cafes, and cultural venues. Existing trees will be preserved or relocated nearby. Each 13,000-square-foot floor will include open-plan areas, outdoor terraces, and breakout spaces overlooking the garden. Upper levels house private offices, a boardroom, and a gallery with panoramic views of Asunción.
The construction of Sudemeris Bank’s new headquarters follows decades of rapid urban development in Asunción with an emphasis on sustainable growth, including the expansion of parks, the renovation of public spaces such as Plaza Uruguaya and the 2017 launch of the “Asunción, Green City of the Americas” initiative implemented by Paraguay’s Secretariat of Environment, Ministry of Public Works, and the Municipality of Asunción.
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