Tuwaiq Palace or Towaiq Palace is a building in the Diplomatic Quarter district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which hosts government functions, state receptions, and cultural festivals that introduce Saudi arts and customs to the international community. Named after the nearby Tuwaiq mountain, it was built in 1985 by OHO Joint Venture, a team composed of Frei Otto, Buro Happold, and Omrania. [1] Tuwaiq Palace won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the design in 1998. [2] [3]
After an international competition in 1981, Omrania and Associates in association with Frei Otto and Buro Happold were awarded the design and site supervision of what was then called the Diplomatic Club.
The Tuwaiq Palace is a response to the unique opportunities presented by the site, a design worthy of the majestic promontory site overlooking the sweeping Wadi Hanifeh below. The building's design features a curving, 800-meter-long “Living Wall” that wraps around a lush garden, with five projecting tensile (tent) structures providing shade along the wall. [4]
At the heart of the concept is the need for physical protection from the environment in contrast to the desire to view the unique panorama available from the site. The concept became one of a series of contrasts: light and heavy, garden and desert, modern and traditional technology, openness and solidity.
The Tuwaiq Palace contains 24,000 square meters of recreational, social, dining, banqueting, conference and accommodation functions. Such diverse functions as a tenpin bowling alley, crèche, billiards, library, secretariats and hotel rooms are combined with the usual club facilities of swimming, tennis, squash, sauna, exercise, lounges, social rooms and formal and informal dining. All technical, mechanical and staff-related functions to support such a facility are included within the palace.
Architectural historian and critic Chris Abel, [5] a visiting professor at Ulster University Belfast, described Tuwaiq Palace as "a hybrid of mixed materials and techniques... creating a powerful fusion of traditional forms and modern technologies, carefully set into the desert landscape on the edge of the city." [6]
Riyadh, formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community development and improvement, restoration, reuse and area conservation, as well as landscape design and improvement of the environment.
The year 1987 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.
Frei Paul Otto was a German architect and structural engineer noted for his use of lightweight structures, in particular tensile and membrane structures, including the roof of the Olympic Stadium in Munich for the 1972 Summer Olympics.
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Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil is an Egyptian architect who designed over 15 mosques in Saudi Arabia and is considered by many as the foremost contemporary authority in Islamic architecture. For designing in traditional styles, he is also a representative of New Classical Architecture.
Sir Edmund "Ted" Happold was a structural engineer and founder of Buro Happold.
Articles related to Saudi Arabia include:
Buro Happold Limited is a British professional services firm that provides engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management, and consulting services for buildings, infrastructure, and the environment. It was founded in Bath, Somerset, in 1976 by Sir Edmund Happold when he took up a post at the University of Bath as Professor of Architecture and Engineering Design.
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The Haramain High Speed Railway, also known as the Western railway or Mecca–Medina high-speed railway, is a 453-kilometre-long (281 mi) high-speed rail line in Saudi Arabia. It links the Muslim holy cities of Medina and Mecca via King Abdullah Economic City and Jeddah, using 449.2 kilometres (279.1 mi) of main line and a 3.75-kilometre (2.33 mi) branch connection to King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA), in Jeddah. The line was designed for a top speed of 350 km/h (220 mph), and with a service speed of 300 km/h (190 mph).
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Al-Kindi Plaza, or Al-Kindi Square, is a multipurpose market square in Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located next to the Cultural Palace. Completed in 1986, it is named after the 9th century Arab philosopher and polymath Abu Yusuf al-Kindi. It includes a congregational mosque, library, garden, courtyard and the offices of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and the MiSK Foundation.
24°41′18″N46°37′10″E / 24.688463°N 46.619539°E
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