Innovative Projects Win At King Salman Charter For Architecture And Urbanism Award

The Architecture and Design Commission, under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, held the closing ceremony for the first session of the King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism Award. The event, which took place on Sunday, highlighted projects that adopted the charter's methodology and values.

Dr. Sumayah Al-Solaiman, CEO of the Architecture and Design Commission, expressed her gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their unwavering support for the architecture and design sector. She also thanked Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud for his continuous efforts to enhance Saudi culture both locally and globally.

The ceremony featured a video presentation on the King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism, followed by a presentation on the evaluation phase. Evaluators shared their experiences and thoughts on the participating projects. Dr. Adrian Lahoud, Dean of the School of Architecture at the Royal College of Art in London, delivered a speech before announcing and honouring the award winners.

Following this, an exhibition was inaugurated to showcase King Salman's significant contributions during his tenure as Governor of Riyadh Region. The exhibition emphasised his vision rooted in historical awareness and pride in Saudi identity, leading to diverse architectural solutions inspired by rich Saudi culture.

The shortlist included various projects from different regions of Saudi Arabia. Nine projects were recognised across three categories: "Built Projects," "Unbuilt Projects," and "University Student Projects." In the "Built Projects" category, five projects were awarded: The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran City, Banyan Tree Resort in AlUla Governorate, Dar Al-Rahmaniah Building in Al-Ghat Governorate, KAFD Grand Mosque in Riyadh city, and Innovation Tower at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh city.

In the "Unbuilt Projects" category, winners included the Sports Track project in Riyadh and the Mihrab project, which aims to establish prayer areas along travel routes across all regions of Saudi Arabia. In the "University Student Projects" category, Abdulaziz bin Ghanem Al-Talib from King Saud University won with his proposed design for the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (KSGAAL), while Sadeem Al-Jibreen from the University of Sheffield in the UK won with her proposed design for a Contemporary Neighborhood project.

Biennial Event Announcement

Dr. Sumayah Al-Solaiman announced that this event would be held biennially. She invited owners of distinguished urban projects, interested parties, and creative students to participate in future sessions. She praised the efforts of the commission's staff and participating committees for making this inaugural session successful.

The exhibition also explained six values of the charter alongside displays of shortlisted projects and winning entries. It concluded with an interactive virtual experience showcasing details from the charter's book.

The ceremony underscored how King Salman's vision has led to architectural creativity inspired by Saudi culture's richness. This initiative aligns with aspirations to build a promising future through integrated support from leadership.

With inputs from SPA