Makkah Clock Royal Tower - Saudi Arabia
The Makkah Royal Clock Tower complex, also known as the Abraj Al-Bait Towers, is a mixed-use residential and hotel complex in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, near the Masjid al Haram. The complex's construction began in 2004 and was finished in 2012.
The building's structure is made up of seven towers that rise over podiums. The Makkah Royal Clock adorns the world's tallest tower, which stands 601 meters above ground and is one of the top 10 buildings in the world.
The massive edifice was built as part of the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project, which aimed to renovate Makkah and provide world-class accommodations for the city's rising population of visitors and residents.
The Saudi Binladin Group is working on the Makkah Royal Clock Tower project. The architectural design contract for the project was awarded to Dar Al-Handasah in 2001.
The Makkah Royal Clock Tower is located 23 hectares south of the Masjid al Haram. The historic Ottoman-era Ajyad Fortress was demolished to make way for the tower. The complex has a total built-up area of 2.8 million square meters (21.5 million square feet).
A 15-story, 115-meter-high platform supports the building's seven towers and houses a huge retail area. The Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel is housed in the architectural construction's tallest tower, which is located in the middle. Six other towers flank the clock tower: Hajar, ZamZam, Maqam, Qibla, and Marwah.
The following towers range in height from 200 to 300 meters and have between 42 and 48 stories Makkah, Saudi Arabia, is home to the 120-story Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel. It is both the world's tallest hotel and the world's tallest clock tower. The clock is the world's largest clock face, rising 43 meters above the hotel towers on both sides. The clock faces are illuminated by around two million LED lights. The clock tower weighs 36,000 tons and stands 251 meters tall from the base of the clock to the top of the crescent framework.
A 71-meter-tall spire atop the clock raises the building's height to 601 meters above the ground. A 23-meter-high crescent constructed of mosaic gold with a fiberglass backing stands atop the tower. The top 200 meters of the clock tower are covered in fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite panels.
Permanent resident apartment towers, a five-star hotel owned by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts for Hajj pilgrims, and the Abraj Al Bait shopping mall are all part of the Makkah Clock Tower complex. The structure can accommodate more than 1,000 vehicles.
Other features within the tower complex include an Islamic Museum, a Lunar Observation Centre, and a large prayer space with a capacity of more than 10,000 people. Residents of the tower complex recite official prayers five times a day. During each prayer time, up to 75,000 residents from all seven towers can exit the building via podiums in a controlled and orderly manner thanks to Kone's efficient people flow solution for the building complex.
On the podium, there are 79 elevators and 111 extra-heavy-duty Transvario escalators. The clock tower has 94 elevators and 16 extra heavy-duty Transvario escalators. The 12 elevators in the surrounding towers include two helipad elevators and six extremely heavy-duty Transvario escalators.
Location: Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Height: 1,972 ft (601 m)
Floors: 120
Architects: Dar al-Handasah Shair & Partners + SL Rasch
Building Function: Mixed-Use
Completion: 2012
