LEADING global elevator company Schindler Group has raised its profile in the Middle East with high-visibility contracts for its leading mobility solutions in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.

In Saudi Arabia, the company has recently been awarded two large-scale and prominent projects – one for a commercial high-rise, and the other for a residential complex – highlighting the company’s growing reputation in the country.

In the high-rise commercial segment, Schindler has been chosen to supply mobility solutions for Tadawul Tower, a prestigious project in the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) of the Saudi capital city of Riyadh. This 41-storey, 208-m skyscraper will be the new home of the Saudi Stock Exchange, or Tadawul. The installation will feature 26 elevators, including 19 Schindler 7000 elevators with speeds of up to 6 m per second, as well as eight escalators.

A spokesman for Schindler Group says: “Visitors to the new Tadawul headquarters will profit from Schindler’s latest innovation in transit management, Port Technology. Schindler’s Port capabilities will provide the building with substantial energy saving, access control and transit management benefits.”

The Tadawul Tower is designed by the Japanese architectural firm Nikken Sekkei, a world leader in sustainable design. The architects have sought to incorporate several energy-saving technologies in their planning in order to be compliant with the latest Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards as well as the green building rating system developed by the US Green Building Council.

Innovative features include a “sunlight scooper” introducing natural sunlight, photovoltaic panels to reduce energy consumption, solar shading to help reduce cooling, mirror ducts introducing natural light to basement levels and deep inside the building, and dry mist cooling of exterior space.

In the residential segment, Schindler has been chosen to supply Wahat Makkah, a large and high-profile integrated development on the edge of Makkah. The complex, which will have a total of 2,200 apartments when complete, will include 106 Schindler 3300AP elevators.

Among other recent deals, Schindler is also providing mobility solutions for three major projects in the UAE and Qatar.

In the UAE, Schindler will support the planned Phase Three expansion of Dubai International Airport’s Concourse Four with 45 customised elevators, 43 escalators, six moving walks and its Lobby Vision supervisory panel display. Installation began in April, with completion set for September 2014.

In Qatar, the company has been named the sole supplier of elevators for the Twin Towers project, a mixed-use development featuring a hotel and an office block located in the Doha’s West Bay district. Each tower will rise 46 floors high and sit on a podium, with four basement levels dedicated to parking.

In addition to 32 elevators, Schindler will supply Lobby Vision and Port destination dispatch to the project. Installation work is scheduled to be completed in September 2013.

Also in Qatar, Schindler is supplying to the North Gate Mall and Office Buildings, a mixed-use development on one of Doha’s most strategically important arterial roadways, Al Shamal Road. Schindler says it is the sole supplier of mobility solutions to the project and will supply 58 elevators, 44 escalators and two moving walks as part of the Phase One construction. Installation is due for completion in May 2014.

Founded in Switzerland in 1874, the Schindler Group is a leading provider of elevators, escalators and related services. Its mobility solutions move one billion people everyday all over the world. Behind the company’s success are 44,000 employees in over 100 countries. Schindler recorded a 7.5 per cent increase in orders received in the first quarter of this year. The Asia/Pacific region generated the strongest growth, followed by the North, Central, and South America region.