Tuwaiq Palace

Tuwaiq Palace or Towaiq Palace is a building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which hosts government functions, state receptions, and cultural festivals that introduce Saudi arts and customs to the international community, and vice versa. It was built in 1985 by OHO Joint Venture, made up of Frei Otto and Buro Happold. Buro Happold won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the design in 1998.

Architecture

After an international competition in 1981, Omrania and Associates in association with Frei Otto and Buro Happold were awarded the design and site supervision of what was then called the Diplomatic Club.

The Tuwaiq Palace is a response to the unique opportunities presented by the site, a design worthy of the majestic promontory site overlooking the sweeping Wadi Hanifeh below.

At the heart of the concept is the need for physical protection from the environment in contrast to the desire to view the unique panorama available from the site. The concept became one of a series of contrasts: light and heavy, garden and desert, modern and traditional technology, openness and solidity.

The Tuwaiq Palace contains 24,000 m.sq. of recreational, social, dining, banqueting, conference and accommodation functions. Such diverse functions as a tenpin bowling alley, crèche, billiards, library, secretariats and hotel rooms are combined with the usual club facilities of swimming, tennis, squash, sauna, exercise, lounges, social rooms and formal and informal dining. All technical, mechanical and staff-related functions to support such a facility are included within the Palace.

External links

• Tuwaiq Palace at the Aga Khan Award website
• Tuwaiq Palace in ArchNet.org.