flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Zaha Hadid's 'white crystal' petroleum research center taking shape in the desert [slideshow]

Zaha Hadid's 'white crystal' petroleum research center taking shape in the desert [slideshow]

Construction work is under way on the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center's Research and Office Complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.


By BD+C Staff | February 7, 2014
The steel framework for the 216,500-sf complex is complete, and work on the exterior is well under way. Photo: Zaha Hadid Archi

Like a crystalline form in the state of expansion, the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center's Research and Office Complex (ROC) will rise from the desert in dramatic fashion, with a network of bright-white, six-sided cells combining to form an angular, shell-like façade.

The project's design architect, Zaha Hadid Architects, released construction photos of the job site in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The steel framework for the 216,500-sf complex is complete, and work on the exterior is well under way (as images from SkyscraperCity.com show below).  

The ROC will feature a series of shaded outdoor spaces, courtyards, entrances, meeting areas, indoor gardens, corridors, underground tunnels, and roof terraces. It's part of a larger petroleum research complex that also includes a residential community (191 townhouses) and leisure and sports facilities, such as indoor and outdoor swimming pools, gymnasiums, aerobics rooms, a bowling alley, and sports grounds, as well as a library, restaurant, and supermarket.

The design team from Zaha Hadid Architects, led by Hadid, Patrik Schumacher, and DaeWha Kang, describe their design approach for the ROC: "The center is inherently forward-looking; its architecture also looks to the future, embracing a formal language capable of continual expansions or transformation with no compromise in visual integrity." 

"The center emerges from the desert landscape as a cellular structure of crystalline forms, shifting and evolving in response to environmental conditions and functional requirements. Consistent organizational, spatial strategies drive an adaptive approach, with each component, each individual building, fitted to the purpose it serves."

"Protective from without, porous within, the structure’s strong, hard shell conceals a softer environment – sheltered courtyards, bringing natural daylight into all spaces; buffer zones creating smooth transitions from a hot, glaring exterior to a cool, filtered interior."

 

IMAGES AND RENDERINGS: ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS

 

 

IMAGES: SKYSCRAPERCITY.COM/HAMADX

Related Stories

| Mar 29, 2013

Cuningham Group acquires NTD's healthcare practice, expands into key markets

The international design firm Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc. has announced that NTD Healthcare has the joined the company in a strategic expansion. A practice of NTD Architecture, NTD Healthcare joins Cuningham Group with three principals: Wayne Hunter, AIA, NCARB, ACHA and Phillip T. Soule, III, AIA, ACHA in San Diego, along with Maha Abou-Haidar, AIA in Phoenix.

| Mar 27, 2013

Small but mighty: Berkeley public library’s net-zero gem

The Building Team for Berkeley, Calif.’s new 9,500-sf West Branch library aims to achieve net-zero—and possibly net-positive—energy performance with the help of clever passive design techniques.

| Mar 27, 2013

RSMeans cost comparisons: college labs, classrooms, residence halls, student unions

Construction market analysts from RSMeans offer construction costs per square foot for four building types across 25 metro markets.

| Mar 26, 2013

Will Google Glass revolutionize the construction process?

An Australian architect is exploring the benefits of augmented reality in the design and construction process.

| Mar 24, 2013

World's tallest data center opens in New York

Sabey Data Center Properties last week celebrated the completion of the first phase of an adaptive reuse project that will transform the 32-story Verizon Building in Manhattan into a data center facility. When the project is completed, it will be the world's tallest data center.

| Mar 22, 2013

8 cool cultural projects in the works

A soaring opera center in Hong Kong and a multi-tower music center in Calgary are among the latest cultural projects.

| Mar 22, 2013

Earn $500 as a DOE proposal reviewer

The DOE'S Building Technologies Office this morning put out a call to the AEC industry for expert reviewers for its new energy-efficiency initiative for small commercial buildings, which make up more than 90% of the commercial building stock.

| Mar 21, 2013

Best Firms to Work For: Enermodal Engineering is green to the core

At Enermodal Engineering, there’s only one kind of building—a sustainable one.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021