W Riyadh – KAFD

This new five-star, 214-key business hotel in the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, comprises a 17-story tower, a three-story podium, and a four-story underground structure for hotel support functions and parking. To be operated initially as a Wyndham property and now as a W, the hotel will include a business center, executive club, signature restaurants, a lounge, and a resort-style spa and health club.

The hotel is designed as a prism-shaped tower with a nine-story opening that separates programmatic functions and allows for views and light to penetrate the mass of the building. The podium structure houses the hotel amenities and conference facilities and links the building to its surroundings at the pedestrian level. The podium incorporates a multipurpose hall, restaurants, a spa, outdoor gardens and a rooftop terrace.

Designed to achieve LEED certification, the project incorporates many state-of-the-art sustainable strategies, including energy modeling, daylight control and solar shading, photovoltaic panels on the roof and proximity to alternative transportation systems within the KAFD.