'villas in the sky' by henning larsen architects


'villas in the sky' by danish henning larsen architects is a proposal for a mixed use 34 storey tower
located in the king abdullah financial district in riyadh, saudi arabia. the form imitates the structural
ideal of a high-rise building. it is a polygon with four equal sides allowing for very flexible spaces.
the shifted upper plates create a jagged facade that visually differentiates the various programmes
in the mixed-use building.

the first three stories are dedicated to retail and connected to the wadi, ground level and the footbridges,
the skywalks, for easy access and optimal connection for users. the next 14 stories are programmed
as office space and the top 12 floors house 22 residential units.

the curtain wall glass facade has angled panels to allow the use of more transparent glazing oriented
towards the ground, while a sloping light-coloured cladding provides a shaded interior and reduces
the energy consumption of the building. once complete the building will achieve an LEED certification.



entrance to the tower



entrance to the tower



day and night view



interior



interior


project info:
location: riyadh, saudi arabia
client: saudi binladen group
area: 41,000 m2
year of construction: 2009 - 2013
type of assignment: commission
structural engineers: thornton tomasetti
mep: hoare lea consulting engineers
quantity surveyors: geoffrey barnett associates