Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 17, 2025 – Omrania, part of the 10N Collective, has been awarded both the Jury Winner and Public Voting Winner distinctions in the Unbuilt Landscape category at the 2025 13th Annual Architizer A+ Awards. The recognition is for the Water Treatment Complex (WTC)at King Salman Park, a project that reframes essential infrastructure as a vital component of the public realm.
Located at the King Salman Park’s southern edge, the Water Treatment Complex is integral to Riyadh’s transformation under Saudi Vision 2030. Spanning 137,736 square meters, the complex includes a Potable Water Treatment Plant, a Sewage Treatment Plant, and a Treated Sewage Effluent facility. Its design brings utility into the park’s daily life, setting storage tanks shaped to echo natural forms within planted corridors that reveal their stone-clad walls. These corridors provide access for maintenance while establishing a visual rhythm within the landscape. Above ground, green roofs and shaded pedestrian pathways extend the park’s plant life, supporting biodiversity and reinforcing the sense that this is a living part of the park, not a hidden utility.
The WTC employs advanced technologies such as ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis, processing up to 192,000 cubic meters of treated water daily. This output sustains the park’s urban forest and wadis, directly contributing to the ecological health of the city. By concealing mechanical systems below grade, the design minimizes noise, odors, and visual impact while maximizing accessibility for the public. The complex also serves as an educational resource, highlighting the importance of water reuse and sustainable urban management.
In line with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030, the project advances sustainable water management and public well-being. Visitors are encouraged to explore and reflect, encountering infrastructure as part of their experience rather than as a backdrop.
The Water Treatment Complex reflects Omrania’s commitment to contextual design, a core principle in the firm’s ethos. Omrania’s approach is grounded in the belief that architecture should respond to its physical, cultural, and environmental context, creating places that are functional, liveable, and meaningful. This project, like many in Omrania’s portfolio, rejects generic solutions in favour of those that engage directly with the site’s unique qualities and the community’s needs.
Mahmoud Abughazal, Corporate Director of Architectural Services at Omrania, commented:
“Too often, infrastructure is treated as something to be hidden away. Here, we asked: What if it could add value to the public realm? By making the Water Treatment Complex accessible and visible, we invite people to engage with the systems that sustain urban life. This project is a reminder that the most technical interventions can also be opportunities for discovery, education, and beauty.”
The Architizer A+ Awards celebrate projects that advance design and innovation globally. Omrania’s Water Treatment Complex at King Salman Park serves as an exemplary model of how infrastructure can be reimagined as an integral, visible, and enriching component of the urban landscape.
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