Nikken Sekkei wins KSA design competition

Nikken Sekkei chairman Mitsuo Nakamura and Tadawul chairman Dr Fahd Al-Mubarak.

MORE ON SAUDI ARABIA: Vision wins Princess Nora MEP job; 10 KSA projects you should be involved in; Tabreed to build cooling plant for Saudi Aramco; Six of the best: projects to keep an eye on; Regional financial giants target Saudi real estate

Major energy-saving technologies will be incorporated into the design of the new headquarters of the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul).

The SR1 billion project will be designed by top Japanese architect and leader in sustainable design, Nikken Sekkei.

“This is a very forward-thinking decision taken by Tadawul. The new stock exchange at the heart of King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh will be a smart building of the future,” said Mitsuo Nakamura, chairman of Nikken Sekkei, which has secured the design and engineering consultancy contract for the new headquarters.

The building will feature a ‘sunlight scooper’ to introduce natural sunlight; PV panels to reduce energy consumption and solar shading to help reduce the cooling load.

Mirror ducts will filter natural light to basement levels and into the inside of the building, and dry mist will help cool nearby exterior spaces.

A cool pond will store cooled air at night to reduce the daytime cooling load and a trench will precool fresh air with geothermal energy at lower levels.

Nikken Sekkei, recognised as one of the world’s largest architectural and engineering practices, with in excess of 2300 professional staff, won the design and engineering contract in a competition with six international companies out of 32 prequalified firms.

“Our sustainable design was chosen because it balances construction value, sustainability and iconic design. We strived to reflect the identity of Tadawul and incorporate several major energy-saving technologies, complying with the LEED standards,” said Nakamura. 

Advertisement

FEATURED COMMENT Please click here to comment on this article