Soaring 1,260 feet above the surrounding cityscape, the 80-story Capital Market Authority (CMA) Tower is one of the world’s most high-tech supertall buildings. The building was designed by HOK in collaboration with Omrania & Associates.
© Faisal Bin Zarah / Al Ra’idah Investment company
When it opens in 2018, the CMA Tower will position Riyadh as the financial and economic center of the Middle East. It is the centerpiece and tallest structure within the King Abdullah Financial District, a mixed-use development that creates a world-class financial hub for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Capital Market Authority, the government organization responsible for regulating Saudi Arabia’s capital markets, will occupy the top floors of the tower.
© Ali Al Mubarak / Arriyadh Development Authority
© Faisal Bin Zarah / Al Ra’idah Investment company
“The building combines architectural ingenuity with the very best in environmental credentials to achieve a LEED Gold standard.”
Together with its integrated facade system, the iconic geometry of the building contributes to a highly functional yet strikingly originally form on Riyadh’s skyline. The tower’s crystalline facade references the crystals found in wadis—dry ravines located in the Saudi Arabian desert. This transparency creates an open grid and provides access to natural light within the office tower.
© Hani Al-Sayed / Omrania
A high-performance enclosure incorporates solar shading, photovoltaic solar collection, facade lighting and an innovative facade access system. This integrated solution reinforces the overall building design and geometry while minimizing solar gain and internal cooling loads and reducing HVAC requirements. Energy is reclaimed through a photovoltaic array installation on the tower’s roof.
© Hani Al-Sayed / Omrania
© Hani Al-Sayed / Omrania
The modular plan creates a highly efficient interior environment with clear-span floor plates that maintain flexibility and adaptability across every level of the structure. Combining public circulation and private amenity space, the podium structure at the base includes an auditorium, cafeteria and two-story atrium. 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.
Smart, Sustainable Design
© Faisal Bin Zarah / Al Ra’idah Investment company
A high-performance solar control system installed moderates the intense light and heat of the local environment. An external layer of fins, gantries and perforated panels provides shade, enhancing the thermal efficiency of the triple-pane glazing. The shading devices are oriented to minimize solar gain and internal cooling loads thereby saving on the size of the HVAC installation and reducing energy costs. Electrical energy will be re-claimed through the photovoltaic installation on the roof of the Tower.
(Video) HOK’s Roger Soto on the Design of the CMA Tower in Riyadh
Video courtesy of HOK Network
A 3 storey podium structure at the base of the Tower integrates public circulation (via the district sky-walk system of the KAFD Master plan) with the private amenity spaces, including the auditorium and dining areas.
© Faisal Bin Zarah / Al Ra’idah Investment company
With its energy-efficient skin, photovoltaic system, and intelligent infrastructure (“cool” wireless communication, air-blown fiber optics, and converged networks); the tower is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification.
(Videos) Design Concept
Capital Market Authority (CMA) Headquarters from Omrania on Vimeo.
Project Details
Architects : HOK in collaboration with Omrania & Associates.
Size : 1.9 million sq. ft. / 182,130 sq. m. (80 stories)
Client : Al Ra’idah Investment Company (RIC)
Location : King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), Riyadh, KSA
Construction value : SR 3 ,000,000,000
Year : 2018
Status : Under Construction
Interiors : Omrania / Goettsch Partners / David Wrenn
Structural Engineering : Hyder Consulting / Omrania
MEP Engineering : WSP Engineering / Omrania
Site Supervision : Omrania
Project Management : Sweett Group
Contractor : Saudi Binladin Group (ABCD)
Awards : 1. International Property Awards – Best Commercial High-rise, Architecture 2. ConstructionWeek – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Awards, Tower Project of the Year
LEED Certification : LEED Gold anticipated
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