King Abdulaziz Centre for WorldCulture and Knowledge
1 / Introduction
An exemplar project for Buro Happold in terms of multi-disciplinary team working and a cultural first for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture and Knowledge will offer a range of specialised cultural, educational and youth leadership programmes and activities, to promote a positive impact on human development and culture within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Created to mark the 75th anniversary of the Saudi Aramco oil company, the iconic and innovative design resembles a rock mass made up of five separate, yet connected, pebble shaped buildings. This characteristic yet unique architecture from Snohetta has generated numerous innovations from the engineering team from the way the individual elements, engineered in different global locations, were brought together to form one design to the engineering design itself.
After reviewing the project, our team came to the conclusion that Revit would be the best suited platform to complete this project and due to the size, complexity and timeframe, BIM was the only option to ensure a fully coordinated multi-discipline package. Engineering teams from New York to Belfast and Copenhagen were responsible for modelling and coordinating their individual buildings, with our Glasgow office responsible for the production of the master site wide drawings.
The desert location and climate meant that the façade had to be weatherproof and provide a high degree of protection from solar radiation. Our engineers used dynamic thermal modelling tools to study the performance of the façade design. The resulting solution for the five pebble buildings is comprised of two main elements; an insulated weathertight envelope wrapped by a feature shade veil. This envelope is constructed from layers of metal decking, insulation and membranes supported on light gauge steel purlins. It is largely hidden from view and shaded by the feature veil which is constructed from stainless steel tubes. These thin walled tubes are pre-bent to the pebble surface geometry and at window locations simply flattened, which enables natural lighting to show through while maintaining their external shading role.
Sustainability has been a key consideration in the design of the Centre, which is aiming for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. Buro Happold has used sustainable construction techniques such as efficient energy use and optimum building performance throughout the buildings. The project will ensure the responsible and efficient use of water through various initiatives including water efficient fittings and the installation of water meters to monitor the volume of water used in the Centre. In addition to this, smart (water) controllers will be installed to schedule irrigation levels based on the local landscape and general weather conditions, and help to prevent over-watering and excessive run-off.
Bringing together engineering teams from across the globe and leading the way in BIM technologies and well as the innovative multi disciplinary design, the new cultural centre will be a showpiece for Buro Happold in many ways and its completion in 2012 is eagerly awaited.
Key facts
- Marks the 75th anniversary of the Saudi Aramco oil company
- Facade is resilient to local climate
Related Disciplines
The Project Details
Client: Saudi Aramco
Architect: Snøhetta
Buro Happold services: Building services engineering, structural engineering, ground engineering, facade engineering, fire engineering, infrastructure, acoustics, lighting, computational simulation and analysis, sustainability and alternative technologies