RiadArchitecture

Earlier in the week, we shared a business park we designed in Riyadh showcasing how we worked with a double skin facade to combat the harsh sun rays to eliminate heat gain …. But, that’s a lot of work and money being spent on a facade. For another business park client (also in ) , we were able to convince them to minimize glazing to the bare essentials, and allow us to be more playful with the solid planes and surfaces creating this type facade - especially with the overlapping planes and geometries - which we are showcasing today!

Design team and

There is this interesting discussion in the architectural communities today about placing objects that seem “futuristic” in Neo Classical spaces - with many being against this practice calling it “inappropriate”. This line of thought always seems alien to us, as the architects of the Renaissance, Baroque and later Rococo periods have always been fascinated with curves and fluidity in form. When our current team leader, M M M Riad, was working at in the early 2010s, he learnt that fluidity in complex forms can be utilised in neoclassical spaces as accent pieces, and they often work in harmony with their surroundings rather than compete against them as some would argue.

In many of ‘s early Gen 3 work of the latter half of the 2010s, this idea was experimented on frequently when designed accent elements as entrances, gates, and canopies for neoclassical architecture … this project in particular revisits this energy in 2024, as the brief called for a sculptural piece to be placed in the courtyard space of the , as well as a bench and canopy … well, why have three items when all of these requirements can blend into one transitional object that mirrors the symmetry of the surrounding context?

Design team &

Ever since designing - we have consulted on a lot of the typology in Egypt and the gulf; particularly in Saudi Arabia. The idea is novel, where people can meet and mingle with the square / courtyard (especially if there is a ground level retail component), but the challenge is always the same : sun protection.

Ever since the migration of many multi national companies to the Middle East in the early 21st century, the international architectural post WW2 corporate style came with it. The idea predicated on the concept of transparency, where businesses are always visible and accountable in the public eye.

This concept did not take into account climates with overbearing sun exposure and heat - and thus a new design element has been introduced: the sun screen. Some developers understand the importance for such an added design item, many don’t… thus the challenge to convince why essentially creating two facades skins would be better for the client in the long run.

This particular project was designed for a developer in Riyadh - a G+3 business park on a 20,000m2 plot of land. This particular skin plays with the earthy tones of wood composite panels on the lower floors and white aluminium screens on the upper floors to hide and house the catwalk for facade cleaning as well as providing the necessary sun protection. The material and color scheme was selected to bring an earthy feel and blend with the courtyard landscape to give a biophilic feel.

Design team &

Continuing our conversation over the past few days over the use of courtyards in our prototypes - today we are posting about why we believe courtyards are important in housing prototypes and strategies. Especially when designing for rural or low income communities, the courtyard here becomes a handy design tool; if we are to utilize this outdoor space as the main living space, it reduces the area needed for enclosed living areas. The courtyard becomes the heart and semi private zone of the house, where all enclosed spaces are used primarily for more private areas like the bedrooms.

Furthermore, by clustering a number of dwelling together for the family, this outdoor living room can be actually shared by all units together, creating a small mini community. We believe such ideas and typologies should be further studied and embraced going forward in today’s affordable housing solutions.

Design team &

We are designing a small mosque, is a courtyard important? Of course it is! But it’s taking too much space! We believe that courtyards are an integral component to any mosque; it serves as a transitional zone between the outside world and the spiritual zone. In most historic mosques, the courtyard has this magical ability to block out the hustle and bustle of the surrounding street life and only bring in the effervescent sounds of nature: birdsong, waterflow , and echos of the breeze.

Last year, our team designed a mosque prototype for underprivileged communities in the GCC. Our concept was to celebrate the courtyard, creating an intimate enclosure that connects to the heavens through the sky, proving that it are these small nuances to design that economics are trying to cut out is what makes the difference to architecture designed for humanity . Design team &

We feel sorry for all those born on the 1st of January - their birthdays get drowned out with all the new years celebrations!!! After our new years break, we found out that we missed our brother ‘s birthday - so join us in wishing him a happy belated birthday! Ahmed joined our team two years ago as part of our on site supervision force and has been working with us on the Arab League Extension project as well as Ivory Business Park

Don’t you just dread the day your car needs major service?
You drive all the way to the edge of the city, leave your car in a heavy industrial zone, and spend hours just… waiting.

What if that trip actually felt worth looking forward to?

That’s the idea behind Al Kamal Industrial Zone in Jeddah – a light industrial development that treats the service area like a destination, not a punishment. Who says industrial zones have to be stiff and mechanical? We’ve worked to inject leisure, greenery, F&B and social spaces so visitors can stay occupied and engaged while their cars are being serviced.

Last week, we launched the project at Cityscape Global in Riyadh.
Developed by AlKamal for Urban Development, the 80-acre site in Jeddah’s industrial area brings together:
• Light industrial units & automobile service bays
• Retail and F&B
• Car dealerships and exhibition spaces
• Office space and staff residences
• Generous parks and leisure areas woven through the masterplan

We’d love for you to take a look at the video we put together for the launch – visuals and original music, composed in-house for this project.

Last Friday was the birthday of our resident ray of sunshine join us in wishing her a happy belated birthday and putting this year’s Scorpio season to a close :D