Beirut (APD) - Announcing a new landmark building project in the Saudi capital, Saleh Abdulaziz Al Rajhi Business Council unveiled on Tuesday the master plan for the SR 1.8 billion ($478 million) Al Rajhi Tower in Riyadh, Al Riyadh daily reported Wednesday.
"The tower will be located north of the ministry of municipal and rural affairs and it will be completed in three years. It was designed by British consultancy firm, WS Atkins," said the general manager of the council, Tarek al Fayyad.
At a height of 350 meters, the tower will be comprised of 50 floors. It will be situated on a 62,000 square meters (sqm) plot that will also host a six-floor commercial and office center.
The tower will have a total built-up area of around 80,000 sqm; the center will have 36,000 sqm. The structures will be embedded in 42,000 sqm of landscaped gardens. As special features, the leaning conical Al Rajhi Tower will be equipped with an exterior helipad located at about 80% of its height, and with a mosque in its upper floors.
While the tower will not be Riyadh's tallest building, Fayyad said it would be a candidate for the Guinness Book of World Records for hosting the world's highest mosque and longest slanted elevator.
The Al Rajhi Business Council represents commercial interests of one of Saudi Arabia's richest families, billionaire Saleh Abdulaziz Al Rajhi and his heirs. The group announced the project during the ninth Riyadh Real Estate and Architectural Development Exhibition, a trade show running through Friday. [TS]
By Nadim Issa, APD Staff Writer in Beirut
© APD (Arab Press Digest) 2006
