. Designed as the largest urban park in the world, King Salman Park will be a world-class public space and green district in the heart of Riyadh. Discover the future King Salman Park: A naturally cool environment. An organic place, always active, always changing. A place for sports, recreation, culture and arts. A space…
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The Key to Building Durability: Commissioning and Maintaining the Envelope
. This is the fourth in a series on the relevance of Operations & Maintenance (O&M) in architecture. In preceding posts, we explored the broad reasoning behind building maintenance, the three principle approaches, and cost-effective means of implementation. Here in part 4, we look at how properly commissioning and maintaining the building envelope—guided by scientific…
Read MoreThe visual impact of the KAFD and the PIF Tower
. By any measure—physical, visual, or symbolic—the PIF Tower has redefined the skyline of Riyadh. Photographers are noticing. Architecture does not only belong to building owners or architects. It belongs also to its environment and the people who use it, experience it, and sometimes photograph it. In the case of the PIF Tower (formerly…
Read MorePragmatic Sustainability for Desert Climates
. In the second of our four-part series, we explore the critical issues as they contribute to Sustainable design in the Middle East, and specifically within Saudi Arabia. In particular, we examine notions of the cultural appropriateness of the meaning of Sustainability. By: Marcus Leyland – Chief Architect In the first preceding part…
Read MoreKingdom Centre inspires dramatic photos during Riyadh Season
. During the 70-day public festival known as Riyadh Season, amateur and professional photographers turned their lenses on the life and culture of Riyadh, including popular architectural landmarks like the Kingdom Centre. Omrania is honored to contribute to the built environment of this growing metropolis. Riyadh Season has been a great celebration of the…
Read MoreValue-Driven Maintenance: A Roadmap for Implementation
. In preceding posts, we explored the broad reasoning behind building O&M and the three principal approaches. In part 3, we map out practical implementation of O&M plans. Deferred building maintenance is a worrying trend because the cost can be as much as 30 times that of early intervention. With budgets squeezed, it may…
Read MoreWinners of 2019 Omrania | CSBE Award Honored at Ceremony and Exhibition
. The twelfth cycle of the Award program united students, professors, architects, and members of the public to celebrate the next generation of great design. The 2019 twelfth cycle of the Omrania | CSBE Student Award for Architectural Design once again drew hundreds of competitive submissions from dozens of universities in multiple countries across…
Read MoreThe future of the BIM interface, part 2: software applications for pre-design and design
. In a previous post, we outlined the importance of selecting the optimal BIM interface in relation to human and systemic factors, as part of a successful project delivery strategy. In this post we review several of the established and more recent BIM interface applications and their usefulness at various stages of project development and…
Read MoreOmrania Founder Receives Lifetime Achievement Award for Landscape Architecture and Design
. Managing Director Basem Al-Shihabi was honored at the First Landscape Middle East Awards Ceremonyhosted by Landscape Middle East Magazine. On 25 November2019, Mr. Shihabi received the Lifetime Achievement Award presented byLandscape Middle East Magazine at a ceremony atthe Ritz Carlton DIFC Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. According to the event’s organizers, the…
Read MoreContemporary Workspace Design: An Open and Shut Case
. Attracting and retaining innovative talent is a major consideration for employers today, adding to long-standing challenges for office designers. Increasingly, concerns of maximizing square footage and productivity are augmented by considerations of employee wellness and promoting flexibility and creative collaboration. Technology giants like Google have gone all in on the workplace-as-playground, but some employee-centric…
Read MoreInside the Hotel Rooms and Apartments at the new Radisson Blu
. The guest rooms of the new Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence offer an upscale hospitality experience combining contemporary global style with touches of the Middle East. Inside the new Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence, guests can enjoy world-class sophistication and comfort with a hint of local flavor. The 110 elegantly designed rooms and…
Read MoreSustainable Design in the Arab Peninsula: Culture and Technology
. In the first of our four-part series exploring Sustainable design in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East region, we look at the origin of the idea and how it evolved to become relevant to the unique nature of the Kingdom. By: Marcus Leyland – Chief Architect Almost 50 years since the…
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