Context:
Site adjacant to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Diriyah Saudi Arabia..New Offices for the Regional Authority.Diriyah is the original seat of the Saudi Royal Family.
Design Challenges :
- Invited architectural competition for new Administrative Offices for the Directorate of Diriyah .
- Making a design intervention for a public building reflective of both a modernising society with a long and rich tradition of architecture and relationship to nature.
- Local Cultural norms
- Severe Desert Climate – shading , cooling
Design Response :
The design concept evolved from a contemporary interpretation of the courtyard house, its use of water and shading devices. The form covers the site with its main entrance forecourt roofed over with decorative geometric trellis reminiscent of the souk. Walls of water percolate down planted green walls to receiving pools in the shaded forecourt . This water is used as part of the cooling for air conditioning . Solar panels on the roof help reduce energy usage. The plan geometry of the forecourt is aligned with the nearest mosque and a light sculpture comprising abstract lines of light representing traces in the sand animates the space during the day and night.
Small courtyards with water pools designed around the four square theme relate to the specific functions of the brief.. Shading screens at ground level use the concept of the oculus in cameras to provide screening to the accommodation beyond.
Role:
Concept, Design, Design Co-ordination and Preparation of Competition Report as Design Consultant to James Toomey Architects .