Height rank
Burj Rafal
Riyadh
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- Facts
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Metrics
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Official Name
Burj Rafal
Other Names
Rafal Tower
Type
Building
Status
Completed
Completion
2014
Country
City
Address
Function
A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CVU "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.
Residential / Hotel
Structural Material
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered an “all-steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.
All-Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars and/or steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.
All-Timber
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from timber. An all-timber structure may include the use of localized non-timber connections between timber elements. Note that a building of timber construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of timber beams is still considered an “all-timber” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.
Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. all-steel, all-concrete, all-timber), one on top of the other. For example, a Steel Over Concrete indicates an all-steel structural system located on top of an all-concrete structural system, with the opposite true of Concrete Over Steel.
Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CVU database breaks out the materials used within a composite building’s primary structural elements.
All-Concrete
Height
307.9 m / 1,010 ft
Floors Above Ground
68
Floors Below Ground
2
# of Apartments
474
# of Hotel Rooms
349
# of Parking Spaces
1256
# of Elevators
22
Top Elevator Speed
6 m/s
Tower GFA
92,626 m² / 997,018 ft²
Rankings
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By function
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By material
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Construction Schedule
Proposed
Construction Start
Completed
Other Consultant
Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Material Supplier
Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
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Owner/Developer
RAFAL Real Estate Development
Architect
Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
P & T Group
Structural Engineer
The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
P & T Group
MEP Engineer
The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.
P & T Group
Project Manager
The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.
The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.
International Project Management
Contractor
The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.
Dubai Saudi Arabia Contracting Company
Other Consultant
Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).
PMK International LLC
Rider Levett Bucknall
These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.
Meinhardt
Tricon Foodservice Consultants Ltd.
WA International
SCAPE Landscape Architecture DPC
International Fire Consultants Ltd.
DRA Lighting
The Design Company LLC
Material Supplier
Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).
About Burj Rafal
Located on busy King Fahad Road, just north of the burgeoning King Abdullah Financial District, Burj Rafal was constructed during a boom of high-rise construction which forever changed the fabric of a city which traditionally did not have tall buildings. The building boom in the process created a new market for high-rise residential living for which no such accommodations had existed before in the city of Riyadh. The Burj Rafal was the first residential condominium tower to be built in the region’s then unproven market.
The tower was designed to differentiate itself from other living options in a number of ways beyond the supertall height. At the base, the tower is set within a 20,000 square meter property which features gardens and an offset podium topped with an amenity deck. The tower’s residences share luxury services with a Kempinski Hotel located in the lower floors and were designed to accommodate the needs of Saudi Arabia’s typically large family sizes and strong cultural desire for privacy. As such, there is a higher than usual concentration of large units designed as duplexes, in which bedroom areas are vertically stacked above living spaces and separate entrances can be utilized for the family areas of the home versus those for guests and entertaining.
The design proved to be successful with 70 percent of the condominium units sold by the time the Burj Rafal’s construction had topped out. While other high-rise buildings with residential uses are now being constructed in Riyadh, Burj Rafal remains unique in not only with height, but also with its highly visible location as a standalone tower on the city’s main north-south thoroughfare.
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