MAJOR energy-saving technologies will be incorporated into the design of the new headquarters of the Saudi Stock Exchange or Tadawul in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Costing over SR1 billion ($266.65 million), the building will be designed by Nikken Sekkei, a top Japanese architect and world leader in sustainable design.
“This is a very forward-thinking decision taken by Tadawul. The new stock exchange at the heart of King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, will be a state-of-the-art and intelligent building of the future,” said Mitsuo Nakamura, chairman of Nikken Sekkei, which has secured the design and engineering consultancy contract for the new headquarters.
The King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) is a multi-year project aiming to consolidate its position as the Middle East’s financial capital.
The district will be the headquarters for the Capital Market Authority as well as Tadawul and for financial institutions and other service providers. The energy-efficient features of the building will showcase a sunlight scooper introducing natural sunlight, photovoltaic panels to reduce energy consumption, solar shading to help reduce the cooling load, mirror ducts introducing natural light to basement levels and deep inside the building, dry mist cooling of exterior space, a cool pond to store cooled air at night to reduce daytime cooling load, high-efficiency chillers and thermal storage; and a cool trench to pre-cool fresh air with geothermal energy at lower levels.
In conjunction with Tadawul, Nikken Sekkei has also undertaken to invite up to 10 Saudi nationals to work as short-term interns at its head office in Tokyo, Japan.
“We hope to enhance cross-cultural values as well as long-term relationships,” said Dr Fadi Jabri, general manager of Nikken Sekkei’s office in Dubai, UAE.
Nikken Sekkei has a long relationship with Saudi Arabia, including the design of the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, completed in 1993.