Green is the new gold: Saudi solicits sustainable designs for its Royal Wedding Hall.
Known worldwide for their obscene oil wealth, Saudi Arabia has invited international architects to submit sustainable designs for Riyadh’s new royal wedding celebration hall. The brief calls for a regal building that props up the country’s historic legacy without creating a detrimental impact on the natural environment. Celebration Hall in Riyadh’s key diplomatic quarter will overlook the Aga Khan award-winning Wadi Hanifa restored wetlands, as well as the vast desert landscape beyond. Dubai-based Godwin Austen Johnson Architects were among those invited to participate in this challenging competition. Step on in for a brief look at their proposal.
Naturally the design had to be bold in keeping with Saudi grandeur. These renderings depict the gold-tinted one would expect of a royal wedding hall complete with glitzy lights and what appear to be marble floors. But the outside of the building is significantly more understated.
The desert-colored stepped envelope meshes beautifully with the surroundings, and attempts to reflect the vernacular architecture. Thick walls deflect the high desert temperatures to ensure a comfortable, cool interior, which combined with natural lighting improves the royal hall’s overall energy efficiency.
That Saudi has insisted on some level of sustainability for such a key building (in the area that plays host to all of the foreign consulates and embassies no less) demonstrates the Kingdom’s commitment to reducing its local energy consumption.
:: Arch Daily
More on Sustainable Development in Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia’s Green Construction Potential
AIA Names Saudi’s KAUST as One of Top 10 Green Projects
Saudi Arabia to Replace Oil with Sun Power
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
