Case Study: Mall of Arabia achieves iconic 5,000 m² glass façade and futuristic skylights with dormakaba

Mall of Arabia - Customer Case Study

Mall of Arabia in Jeddah is a 25,000 m² shopping centre with 330 outlets and ambitious architectural features — notably three futuristically shaped “light funnels” and an 18‑metre high, 5,000 m² frameless glazed façade. The challenge was to realize these complex free‑form glass-and-steel elements while maintaining structural safety and a seamless aesthetic, requiring specialized fittings and tensioning systems. dormakaba was engaged to meet this challenge.

dormakaba supplied engineered RODAN tie rods (an intricate network of 450 RODAN tie rods per light funnel linked by stainless‑steel hubs), LOOP glass clamp mountings for the frameless double‑glazing, and RODAN single‑point glass clamps plus multi‑arm connecting spiders for the skylights. The result was a secure, visually transparent envelope that enabled the three-dimensional light funnels and the 18 m high, 5,000 m² façade to be realized as designed, delivering the building’s dramatic glass-and-steel appearance while meeting structural performance requirements.

Mall of Arabia