The built environment museum will play, first of all, an educational role, telling the population about the social, economic, environmental aspects of urban development and the city in the past and today. It will be located in the new "King Abdullah Financial District" with a mixed-use development with a total area of 5.1 million m2. FXFOWLE are implementing 6 of their projects there, including the new museum.
Its glassy crystalline volume seems quite typical for modern architecture, but the architects give an atypical rationale for their decision. According to them, the source of inspiration was the Saudi monuments of the World Heritage: the Nabatean complex of cave burials Madain-Salih of the turn of the era and built up from the 15th century. adobe structures of the Al-Turaif area in the former capital of the country, Ad-Diriye.
The upper part of the building's facades will be covered with translucent laminated glass: its panels form numerous facets, which should reduce the heating of the interiors by the sun's rays. The lower tiers, on the other hand, will be left transparent. The total area of 31.5 thousand m2 will house permanent exhibition halls, temporary exhibitions, a hall for 150 spectators and a restaurant. The complex will also include a monorail station (at level +2) and a network of pedestrian bridges (at level +1). An extensive "plaza" with landscaping will be located nearby.
N. F.
