Public Investment Fund (PIF) Tower: Riyadh’s Tallest Landmark in KAFD

Standing 385 metres above Riyadh’s surrounding cityscape, the PIF Tower, formerly known as the CMA Tower, is like the centerpiece of the King Abdullah Financial District. This iconic 72-story office tower is a result of a joint venture between Omrania and HOK and is currently the tallest building in Riyadh. 

As the tallest tower in Riyadh and the second tallest in Saudi Arabia, PIF towers symbolise the beginning of a new era of global financial leadership within the Saudi capital and its larger goals aimed towards Vision 2030. It represents a complex feat of urban planning, design, and engineering that extends both below and above ground.

Key Project Partners and Material Suppliers for the PIF Tower

Design and Engineering Consultants

Material Suppliers 

Inside the Planning of the PIF Tower 

When the preliminary planning for the Public Investment Fund Tower (PIF) began in 2008, the King Abdullah Financial District in Northern Riyadh was just a dream. The project was started in 2011 as a joint venture of Omrania and HOK. They were engaged in designing and supervising the construction of the PIF Tower, which borders the district’s central plaza. Omrania was also responsible for the quality control across much of the district. 

Today, the PIF tower stands as a beacon along the urban axis of King Fahad Road, crowning KAFD as a monumental gateway between King Khalid International Airport and the old city to the south. Providing 190,000 square metres of premium office space and amenities, the PIF Tower represents the nation's goals for Vision 2030. 

Where Culture Meets Modern Design 

The Public Investment Fund Tower (PIF) features transparent structures reflecting the cultural significance of the crystals found along the valleys of Saudi Arabia. This concept creates openness and provides valuable natural lighting for the office spaces. 

The design of the PIF Tower embraces a subtle blend of conventional and thoughtful techniques while upholding international best practices and cutting-edge technologies. It also embraces local expertise, construction techniques, and methods for dealing with the harsh natural environment.

Purpose-Built Tower for Mixed Corporate Occupancy

The Public Investment Fund Tower (PIF) has a gross floor area of approximately 185,000 square metres. The building offers a good mix of corporate and commercial spaces, an expansive 450-seat auditorium, dining areas, a fitness centre, and a pool. At the lower ground level, the PIF Tower has three full basement levels to accommodate support functions and central plant and equipment areas. 

Capital Market Authority is the project owner of the PIF Tower (formerly known as The Capital Market Tower). They occupy the top level of the tower with 40,000 square metres of floor space. The remaining office spaces are available for commercial lease.

Below are the key architectural components that establish the PIF Tower as an iconic landmark in the heart of KAFD

1. The Tower’s Podium and Circulation Strategy

The PIF Tower is positioned on an irregular rectangle-shaped site with a three-story podium structure at the base integrating public circulation. The strength of the tower’s structure is visible from the lobby, where the inclined columns and perimeter columns converge, thereby creating wider openings for pedestrian circulation. 

2. Balancing Vertical Movement, Space Efficiency, and Wind Stability

The PIF Tower is divided vertically into three sections, each served by a mix of local and express lifts. This division helps boost efficiency and shorten elevator trips for occupants at all levels. 

The tower features two sky lobbies on the upper levels, which act as transfer points to common areas, services, and facilities. The effective elevator core design maximises the usable floor space while each office floor spans a gross area of 2,500 to 2,600 square metres, contributing to the PIF tower’s 70% efficiency ratio.

As the 7th tallest building in the Middle East and the 49th tallest in the world, the PIF Tower is engineered to withstand powerful wind loads without compromising its structure. It features a crystalline profile that helps reduce the severity of wind vortex shedding on the structure. 

3. An Innovative Design Approach to Vertical Support

The PIF Tower uses concrete-filled steel tubes for perimeter columns, an uncommon design solution in Saudi Arabia. It helps to reduce column section sizes to augment the efficiency of both construction and interior space allocation. 

The perimeter columns supporting the tower floors are located at the apex, along with the pleat points of the polygonal-shaped floor plan. The structural support also has intermediate columns running up the middle of each face of the building. 

The inclined columns or pylons of the PIF Tower rise from the base to the fifth floor and merge to support the perimeter mid-side columns. The thoughtful design and architectural components are both structurally efficient and visually striking. 

4. Advanced Façade Engineering and Climate Response

The PIF Tower and its podium structure are sheathed in a high-performance facade system that is primarily designed to address climate, maintenance, and aesthetics. 

The multi-layer building envelope cuts down heat gain, absorption, and glare, allowing the occupants of the PIF tower to enjoy natural sunlight and views from within the building. This impressive system led the PIF tower to receive the “Best Tall Building Facade Engineering” Award from the esteemed international organisation Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. 

5. Smart Sustainability and Energy Performance

The Public Investment Fund Tower (PIF) is an advanced and intelligent infrastructure with an energy-efficient facade and a photovoltaic system. This includes "cool" wireless communication, air-blown fiber optics, and converged networks. The strategic integration of smart sustainability and energy performance elements within the tower is expected to make it eligible for the LEED Gold certification. 

Featuring a high-performance solar control system, the PIF Tower moderates the intense light and heat of the local environment. It also has an external layer of fins, gantries, and perforated panels providing shade, enhancing the thermal efficiency of the building. 

The devices intended to provide the PIF Tower ample shade are oriented in a way that minimises solar gain and internal cooling loads, thereby saving on the size of the HVAC installation and maintenance and ultimately reducing energy costs.  On the other hand, the photovoltaic panels installed on the tower’s roof will generate renewable electricity, helping offset the building’s energy consumption.

Key Highlights and Takeaways from the PIF Tower 

Note

Architecture firm Omrania, which co-designed the tower, references “80 floors” in some contexts. This likely includes mechanical floors, mezzanines, or rooftop levels that aren't counted as occupiable space by other standards.