Foster plans ‘spectacular’ tower for Saudi Arabia

Foster + Partners has been commissioned to design a signature tower in Riyadh by the Saudi Arabian royal family.

The news came as the practice won the Architect of the Year prize at the inaugural Gulf States Building Awards.

The skyscraper will be built alongside Foster’s Al Faisaliah development. The 266m tower, completed in 2000, was the first skyscraper to be built in Saudi Arabia and was the tallest until the construction of the nearby 304m Kingdom Centre in 2004.

The latest tower was commissioned by the same client, the Al Faisaliah Group, which is owned and run by the Saudi royal family. It is understood that Buro Happold, the structural engineer on the first tower, will also be working on the commission.

The designs for “Al Faisaliah Two” are still under wraps, but a source close to the scheme said it would rank among the practice’s most distinctive projects.

He said: “It’s the next generation of Foster towers. If you think of the evolution of the practice’s designs as being from the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank to the Gherkin, then this is the next stage. It will be spectacular.”

Although Al Faisaliah Two will be a tall building, it is understood that it will not compete with the proposed Kingdom Tower in Jeddah. King Abdullah has said that this will be the world’s tallest when complete.

Foster + Partners did not wish to comment on the appointment.

The news emerged in the same week that the practice was recognised in the first Gulf States Building Awards, which were held yesterday in Dubai.

The practice was just one of several British companies to receive gongs at the prestigious ceremony at the Madinat Al Jumeirah hotel.

Atkins was named engineering consultant of the year, and EC Harris the construction consultant of the year.

Carillion’s joint venture with developer Al Futtaim was named the contractor of the year.