‘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.

henning larsen architects: villas in the sky entrance to the tower

henning larsen architects: villas in the sky entrance to the tower

henning larsen architects: villas in the sky day and night view

henning larsen architects: villas in the sky interior

henning larsen architects: villas in the sky 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