Kingdom Centre

Identification

Map

Structure in general

Usage

Facts

• Kingdom Centre is the winner of the 2002 Emporis Skyscraper Award, selected as the "best new skyscraper of the year for design and functionality".
• The main lobby is a soaring elliptical space with ribbed vaulting, elevated walkways, a fountain, and rows of palm trees.
• The ellipse motif taken from the tower's footprint appears also in the light fixtures, ceiling panels, entrance canopy, wastebaskets, and furniture.
• Almost all of the facade is reflective blue glass, but the opening is lined with aluminum to highlight the unique shape.
• The large opening is illuminated at night in continuously changing colors.
• The inverted catenary arch at the top was described by the developer as a "necklace" for the city of Riyadh.
• The lighting fixtures in the driveway mimic the shape of the tower, with a recessed arc in place of the hole.
• Landscaped courtyards filled with palm trees welcome visitors on the north and south sides of the tower.
• A three-level shopping center fills the east wing. The mall won a major design award.
• The tower is aligned in a direct axis with Al Faisaliyah Center, Riyadh's other major skyscraper.
• The building has an entrance on each of its four sides, each one serving a different usage (hotel, shopping, ballroom, and apartments/offices).
• The observation deck has a steeply arched floor, and features diagonal cross-beams along the windows.
• The hotel's ballroom is the largest in Riyadh, and the largest in the entire Four Seasons hotel chain.
• At its completion this was the 25th tallest building in the world, and the tallest of the 21st century.
• Kingdom Centre is the tallest skyscraper in the world below 50 floors.
• Occupants include a five-star hotel, a major bank headquarters, a sports club, a wedding and conference center, and a luxury condominium and apartment complex.
• The tower's unique shape culminates in a triangular opening spanned by a 56 meter skybridge with a public observation deck.
• Kingdom Centre was planned from the beginning as an iconic symbol of Saudi Arabia, and the final design was selected after a 3-year process which included over 100 submissions by major architectural firms.
• The building is the tallest in Saudi Arabia, and was topped out in January 2001.
• The spaces to the left and right of the hole contain an enormous latticework of diagonal steel beams. On the restaurant level there is a conference room with a skylight looking up at this area.