Soaring 1,260 feet above the ground, the 80-story Capital Market Authority (CMA) Tower is one of the world’s most high-tech supertall buildings. When it opens in mid-2017, the CMA Tower will position Riyadh as one of the leading financial and economic centers of the Middle East. It is the centerpiece and tallest structure within the King Abdullah Financial District, a mixed-use development that creates a world-class financial hub for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Capital Market Authority, the government organization responsible for regulating Saudi Arabia’s capital markets, will occupy the top floors of the tower.

Together with its integrated facade system, the geometry of the CMA building contributes to a highly functional yet strikingly original form on Riyadh’s skyline. The tower’s crystalline facade references the crystals found in wadis — dry ravines located in the Saudi Arabian desert.

A high-performance enclosure incorporates solar shading, photovoltaic solar collection, facade lighting and an innovative facade access system. This integrated solution reinforces the overall building design while minimizing solar gain and internal cooling loads, reducing HVAC requirements.

The CMA tower also boasts of a solar PV system on the tower‘s roof which has an installed capacity of 306 kWp. The PV system was designed and engineered by Conergy and it was built together with local partner Modern Times Technical Systems (MTTS). The PV system will produce over 222 MWh of clean electricity per year and will displace 164 tons of C02 emissions. This project has been one of most challenging roof top projects ever executed by Conergy as it was installed at a height of 385 meters. To reach the tower, the installation team had to use three different elevator banks. And during the early part of the construction, the working teams would have to climb 25 stories of stairs.

Commissioning of the system is expected to take place within 2016.