An 80-storey tower rising in King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Saudi capital Riyadh, is set to become one of the world’s most high-tech supertall buildings on completion.

The high-performance Capital Market Authority (CMA) Tower currently under construction and expected to open in mid-2017 has been designed by HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm, in collaboration with Omrania & Associates.

The design team is targeting LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for the tower, which, HOK said, will position Riyadh as the financial and economic centre of the Middle East.

Rising 1,263 feet the faceted crystalline structure is the centerpiece and tallest structure within KAFD, a mixed-use development that is creating a world-class financial hub for Saudi Arabia.

Featuring 73 occupied floors and a gross floor area of 1.9 million sq ft, the CMA Tower will serve as the headquarters of the government organisation responsible for regulating the country’s capital markets, said the global designer.

The design of the tower is in line with the guidelines and vision set forth by of Al Ra’idah Investment Company, the developer of KAFD, it added.

The top architect explained the challenges faced in constructing a high-performance enclosure system that is key to the overall design and geometry of the tower.

According to HOK, the harsh environmental conditions in Saudi Arabia pose unique challenges to the construction of supertall buildings.
 
Intense solar radiation increases heat gain and the accumulation of fine-grain sand clings to building surfaces, it stated.

The enclosure that incorporates solar shading, photovoltaic solar collection, facade lighting and an innovative facade access system is an integrated solution reinforcing the overall building design and geometry while minimising solar gain and internal cooling loads, reducing HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) requirements and reclaiming electrical energy, said the HOK in its statement.

The major components of the system include triple-glazed insulated glass units; unitised type glass curtain wall; a horizontal gantry, or catwalk, located on each floor; an array of angled glass fins connected to the gantry for shading; and a photovoltaic array located in the crown of the building.

Unveiling the details, HOK said the building’s main structural skeleton comprises a central core, perimeter columns, composite floors, roof crown and a continuous raft foundation.

The central core is made of cast in-situ reinforced concrete walls interlinked in a hexagonal-shaped pattern by coupling shear beams. The form tapers inward and outward as it rises, providing floor plates that range from 27,000 to 28,000 sq ft of gross floor area, said the company in a statement.

Together with its dynamic facade, the iconic geometry of the building contributes to a highly functional yet strikingly originally form on Riyadh’s skyline, it added.

Combining public circulation and private amenity space, the podium structure at the base of the tower includes an auditorium, cafeteria and two-story atrium.

According to HOK, an innovative vertical transportation system integrates one of the world’s largest installations of the Twin elevator system with double-deck shuttles. Two elevator cabs travel independently - one above the other - in the same shaft, it added.-TradeArabia News Service