by Shane Henson — August 15, 2011—The facilities management team for the new Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia will benefit from an integrated design approach led by Environmental Systems Design, Inc. (ESD), with energy management features built in to the building systems utilizing energy modeling and building information modeling.
ESD, an international designer of high-performance building systems, has been awarded a contract to design the building systems for the new skyscraper in Jeddah. At 1,000-plus meters (over one kilometer), Kingdom Tower is projected to be the world’s tallest building upon completion. The structure will include a luxury hotel, office space, serviced apartments, condominiums and an observation deck, within approximately 530,000 square meters of space.
The project will feature energy-efficient building systems that are organized vertically in accordance with occupancy, and configured with the highest equipment standards. As an integral component of the design team, ESD is providing mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering, with the firm’s technology services group responsible for delivering integrated consulting services for teledata, audio/visual, security and acoustics.
“The building systems for this super-tall tower are being developed through close coordination with the architectural and structural designs for optimal system operation,” said Mehdi Jalayerian, executive vice president in charge of ESD’s international division. “Our designs will also provide for effective and high-quality fast track construction.”
ESD is working on a design team led by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. The project is being developed by Jeddah Economic Company, formed in 2009 to develop Kingdom City. Development services for the project will be provided by the Dubai-based Emaar Properties, developer of Dubai’s 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa, currently the world’s tallest building. The contractor is the Saudi Binladin Group.
ESD is a global consulting-engineering firm that focuses on the delivery of high-performance buildings. The company delivers value by creating healthy and productive environments and designing facilities that are more cost effective, flexible, reliable, and sustainable.
