Ellerbe Becket of the United States worked in a joint venture with Omrania and Associates of Riyadh. Kingdom Holding Company, developed by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, built the tower from 1999 to 2002. The architectural height is 991.8 feet (302.3 m), with 99 floors. The observatory and top floor are each at 952.8 feet (290.4 m).
The upper third of the tower has an inverted parabolic arch topped by a public skybridge, a 300-ton steel structure with windows on both sides and a length of 213 feet (65 m). The tower sits on a 13-foot (4 m) thick raft foundation. Reinforced concrete columns, beams and core extend for the first 590 feet (180 m), and a tubular steel frame forms the rest.
The Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh occupies part of the tower. The Al-Mamlaka shopping mall has more than 150 stores across three levels. Visitors pay an admission fee to take two elevators to the skybridge level.
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