The building is provided with a basement floor to make maximum use of the allowable height, as well as to accommodate heavy dead-load areas such as the printing department, storage, and library stacks.

The main rooms are located on the ground floor for the convenience of the senior members. All the main rooms overlook the Nile. The library is located on the north side overlooking the adjacent garden, to take advantage of the even north light and to enjoy the silence of the garden. Vertical circulation elements include the main stairway, one secondary staircase, and two elevators serving every floor, including the basment. Reinforced concrete was selected as the structural material to facilitate construction of the special architectural forms of intersecting planes.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture