Nigeria House

 office building  Add category

22-story modernist office building completed in 1992. Designed by AIM Consultants, it is home to both the Offices of the Consul-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in New York, USA and that of The Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations. The facade is clad in green glass above a 2-story base of dark-grey granite. There are large cutouts at the base, creating three main southwest corners. The 2nd floor is lined with square windows. There are tall double-windows at the middle corner of the ground floor, while the other two are recessed below the floors above, both with a single column supporting the upper floors. The main entrance is in the northern one, with a glass revolving door and two sets of glass double-doors, in steel framing. The southern corner section has a short driveway and steel loading dock.

Above the base, the lower floors (3-7) have even more corners, ending in a cascade of setbacks toward the southwest corner. The upper floors rise up vertically from the 7th floor to the roof line as a rectangular shape. There are thin, silver steel bands across each floor. In the small plaza at the southwest corner of the lot, a tall sculpture stands in front of the tower, named Zuma, and created by artist Billy Omabegho. It consists of zig-zag snake-like forms that symbolize rebirth and renewal. The upward and downward reach of the snake also suggests the relationship between air, water, heaven, and earth.