King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center Residential Community in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by HOK

Article source: HOK

Saudi Arabia is diversifying its energy production from oil and gas to alternative sources such as solar and wind. The King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), a non-profit institution located outside Riyadh, is responding to this shift by studying the economics, technologies and policies associated with various types of energy.

KAPSARC Library and Apartments, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

• Architects: HOK
• Project: King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center Residential Community
• Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Photography: Alan Karchmer
• Site: 500 acres / 200 hectares
• Buildings: 2.05 million sq. ft. / 190,240 sq. m.

KAPSARC Rec Center and Apartments, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

KAPSARC’s residential community, located to the west of its new office complex, is designed to attract and retain world-class researchers by providing sustainable housing and amenities. The 494-acre development reflects the very type of energy-saving practices being studied by the Center.

KAPSARC roofscape, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

KAPSARC Community Center Aerial, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

Thiscommunity is the first project outside of North America to achieve LEED for Homes certification. Electricity is provided by a solar field – the largest in the Middle East — at the periphery of the site. The photovoltaic arrays are expected to supply 20 percent of the energy for the community. Native landscapes, recycled water for irrigation, storm water management and energy-efficient construction contribute to the sustainability of the community.

KAPSARC Apartments, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

KAPSARC Bowling Alley, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

Master Plan

The community is planned around a dry riverbed (wadi) that has been transformed into a central oasis. Residential blocks are arranged around this linear park so families and individuals can easily access its recreational areas. Sculpted mounds and depressions in the park provide separation from traffic on nearby streets and natural storm water drainage and collection. Landscaping concentrates on indigenous plantings to reduce the need for irrigation. Streets are curved to focus the views inward to buildings and landscapes, rather than to utility structures on the periphery. Civic, retail and religious spaces at the heart of the community are a short walking distance from the houses.

KAPSARC Community Plaza, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

KAPSARC Community Plaza 2 Apartments Dining Hall Library Retail, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

Civic Core

Apartments and shared amenities are clustered at the heart of the community. They include a dining facility and a library flanking a plaza shaded by tensile fabric structures. A recreation center, a natatorium and a supermarket are located at the edges of the central precinct. A short distance away is the community mosque in the park.

KAPSARC Community Plaza 3 Apartments Dining Hall Library Retail, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

KAPSARC Community Plaza Apartments Dining Hall Library Retail, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

Three apartment buildings with ground-floor retail are integrated into this core area to provide one-story and two-story units with double-height living areas and balconies. The buildings’ sculptural, stainless-steel roofs convey the feeling of motion and extend to create flowing shade canopies for pedestrians.

KAPSARC Executive Villa, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

KAPSARC Natatorium Interior, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

Residential Neighborhoods

Surrounding the community’s core are residential neighborhoods designed to be sustainable and pedestrian-friendly. The 191 villas, organized into walkable blocks, range in size from two-bedroom townhouses to six-bedroom villas. Garages are placed at the rear of the houses along alleys, which provide access for services and pedestrian routes through the blocks.

KAPSARC Pedestrian Street near Communit Plaza, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

Accommodating 1,872 residents, the housing is designed to reflect local cultural traditions and provide sustainable solutions for living in the desert. The L-shaped villas are tightly spaced and organized around private courtyards, and equipped with solar hot water heaters and a variety of sunscreens.

The KAPSARC community is the first project outside of North America to achieve LEED for Homes certification, with 188 villas awarded LEED Gold, one rated Silver and two Certified.

KAPSARC Villas, Image Courtesy © Alan Karchmer

Mosque

The spiritual center of the residential community is a mosque within the linear park at the heart of the site.  Highly visible throughout the community, the sanctuary is approached through outdoor courtyards aligned with Mecca and Al Kaaba, the most sacred places in Islam.

The prayer hall is set within a reflecting pool and reached from elevated glass bridges leading to its entrances. This procession represents the transition of leaving the profane world to enter the sacred realm. The reflecting pool glows at night, giving the illusion that the entire building is floating over water. To either side of the prayer hall, curving walls screen supporting functions, including ablution spaces and imam’s office.

Housing plan 2, Image Courtesy © HOK

The main prayer hall is designed as a 75-foot-square cube sheathed in a dynamic, layered skin. The outermost layer of glass is separated from an inner layer of stone-clad concrete by three feet. The 115-foot-tall minaret is designed to complement the mosque in its similar patterns of stone cladding and windows.

The exteriors of both structures are designed to represent an abstracted version of a traditional Arabic pattern and create an ever-changing experience of light and shadow. During the day, the play of shadows from the complex mullion patterns on the glass travel over the inner stone façade. Similar contrasts of light and shade animate the mosque interior over the course of a day.

Housing plan, Image Courtesy © HOK

At night, the glass box becomes a lantern in the landscape, punctuated with points of light.  Custom, square pendants arranged in a grid pattern and suspended by cables illuminate the interior.

The main prayer hall accommodates 200 men, while a mezzanine level accommodates 100 women. Wrapping its walls and ceiling is a modern interpretation of an Arabic screen wall (mashrabiya) that glows with natural light from windows and skylights to brighten the modern space. Overlapping shapes enliven the walls, while the ceiling presents a more traditional design.

MASTERPLAN, Image Courtesy © HOK

Tags: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Categories: Apartments, Building, Housing Development, Research & Development Centre, Residential

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