Abraj Deem Tower

The brief

Abraj Deem Tower is a landmark high-rise in Riyadh of approximately 35–40 floors. NoVi's commission is architectural: it covers the concept and design development, the massing of the tower, its façade, the design of the podium and entrance at street level, and 3D visualisation of the design throughout.

The challenge

A landmark tower is judged from two distances. From across the city it is a silhouette on the skyline, so its massing and crown have to be legible and distinctive. At street level it is a podium and an entrance that people pass every day, and in Riyadh's sun the façade must also temper heat and glare while giving the building its character.

Our approach

Massing studies set the tower's proportions and silhouette first; the façade is then developed as part of that form rather than applied to it. The podium and entrance are designed as the tower's public base, and 3D visualisation follows the design from concept through development, so the client can review the building from the skyline down to the entrance at each stage.

Keeping concept, design development and visualisation within one team means the images the client sees are the design itself, not a separate interpretation of it.