Developed by
El Seif Engineering Contracting Company
Operational since
2002
Total Built-up Area
3.2 million square feet
Key Features:
1. Landscaped courtyards filled with palm trees welcome visitors on the north and south sides of the tower
2. 22 escalators and parking space for 3000 cars
3. Has a five-star hotel, a major bank headquarter, sports club and a wedding and conference centre
Located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Kingdom Centre is the third tallest building in the world to have an inverted parabolic arch in the upper third of the tower. Developed by El Seif Engineering Contracting Company, Kingdom Centre is a 62-storey and 992 feet high commercialcum- residential skyscraper. The tower was built on around 2.5 acres of land and has parking space for about 3,000 vehicles. The tower also has the three-storey Al Mamlaka Shopping Mall which houses around 161 stores in its east wing. Owned by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the building also plays host to the headquarters of the Kingdom Holding Company. The main lobby is an elliptical space with ribbed vaulting, elevated walkways, a fountain and rows of palm trees. This elliptical form is a footprint used all over the building.
The tower’s unique shape culminates in a triangular opening that climbs to a 56-mtrlong sky bridge atop the building at a height of 311 meters, which contains a public observation deck. Its side spaces are empty to the left and right, containing an enormous latticework of diagonal steel beams. The observation deck has an arched floor and features diagonal cross-beams along the windows.
