After winning an architectural competition that was launched last year, Zaha Hadid Architects will build the Urban Heritage Administration Centre in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
The project, which is inspired by the Wadhi Hanifah valley’s oasis, will have its facilities arranged around an atrium with water at its core and also features four “scooped” green oases. The outer skin of the double façade appears to be solid but is actually perforated, allowing for natural light while protecting the building’s interior from the desert heat. The double façade is meant as a reinterpretation of the area’s traditional rammed-earth structures, which provide thick walls and small exterior openings.
The Centre will cover 94,507 sf in total and will serve as the permanent headquarters for the Heritage Museum. The project will include an exhibition gallery, library, lecture hall, educational spaces for all ages, and a scientific institution for field research and documentation of nearby archaeological sites.
The design of the building is attempting to achieve an appropriate balance between tradition and innovation while also becoming a part of the nation’s evolving cultural heritage. The Urban Heritage Administration Centre is an integral piece in preserving Diriyah’s historic UNESCO world heritage listed site.
Rendering courtesy of Methanoia via ZHA
Rendering courtesy of Methanoia via ZHA
Rendering courtesy of Methanoia via ZHA
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 30 Public Library Engineering Firms for 2023
KPFF Consulting Engineers, Tetra Tech High Performance Buildings Group, Thornton Tomasetti, WSP, and Dewberry top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest public library engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 50 Public Library Architecture Firms for 2023
Quinn Evans, McMillan Pazdan Smith, PGAL, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Gensler top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest public library architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 35 Performing Arts Center and Concert Venue Construction Firms for 2023
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, Holder Construction, McCarthy Holdings, Clark Group, and Gilbane Building Company top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest performing arts center and concert venue general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 40 Performing Arts Center and Concert Venue Engineering Firms for 2023
KPFF Consulting Engineers, Morrison Hershfield, ME Engineers, Thornton Tomasetti, and Arup top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest performing arts center and concert venue engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 60 Performing Arts Center and Concert Venue Architecture Firms for 2023
Populous, DLR Group, Gensler, HGA, and Perkins Eastman top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest performing arts center and concert venue architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 40 Museum Construction Firms for 2023
Turner Construction, Clark Group, Bancroft Construction, STO Building Group, and Alberici-Flintco top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest museum and gallery general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 40 Museum Engineering Firms for 2023
Arup, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Alfa Tech Consulting Engineers, Kohler Ronan, and Thornton Tomasetti top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest museum and gallery engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 70 Museum Architecture Firms for 2023
SmithGroup, Gensler, Ayers Saint Gross, Quinn Evans, HGA, and Cooper Robertson head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest museum and gallery architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2024
Top 40 Religious Facility Construction Firms for 2023
Crossland Construction, Haskell, Big-D Construction, Whiting-Turner, and JE Dunn Construction top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest religious facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Religious Facilities | Feb 6, 2024
Top 50 Religious Facility Engineering Firms for 2023
KPFF Consulting Engineers, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Langan, Kimley-Horn, and Morrison Hershfield top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest religious facility engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.