Image courtesy of Snøhetta

Snøhetta: King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture

The playful King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture by Snøhetta is expected to be completed in 2015. It is located in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, within close proximity to the “prosperity well”, a national landmark commemorating the place where oil was first discovered in the arab state.

Image courtesy of Snøhetta

Designed by Norwegian firm Snøhetta, the 80,000 square meter fully integrated institution will house world class archives, library, learning center, a four-gallery museum and children’s museum, cafes and gift shops, and will play host to youth enrichment and innovation programs, as well as act as a major venue for live and multimedia events.

Image courtesy of Snøhetta

The formal aspects of the architecture are influenced by Saudi Arabia’s geology and rock formations that preserve petroleum energy. At the center of the structure is the knowledge tower, which soars above the rest of the cultural complex, with smaller mountainous forms flanking it on either side.

Image courtesy of Snøhetta

The institution will be clad in an arrangement stainless steel tubes (measuring a total of 350 kilometers-long), all individually shaped in order to snuggly wrap around the subtle curves of the exterior. In contrast to this industrial façade, construction will integrate traditional building techniques, including the rammed earth method, incorporating sand, gravel and clay to erect the walls of the center.

more. http://snohetta.com/