Morphosis has broken ground on the firm’s new U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia compound project for Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter.
Located on a 27.5-acre site away from the capital’s center near the Hanifa River, the complex will be delivered at an unknown square footage in replacement of the embassy’s current facility from 1984.
In a recent Instagram post, the firm states: “This natural setting provided a key source of inspiration for the campus: we drew from the wadi's geometries to shape the campus planning and buildings throughout the site, guiding circulation and channeling breezes between the structures. The new Embassy design embodies an innovative approach to providing safe, functional, and sustainable facilities for the US diplomatic mission to Saudi Arabia.”
According to the project team, the design prioritizes security throughout while integrating the most state-of-the-art and modern hospitality features with sensitivity to Saudi architectural traditions. The project is part of a larger $1 billion spending package on State Department facilities in Saudi Arabia, which includes a new consulate building in Jeddah. Morphosis had previously designed an expansion of the 43-acre U.S. Embassy complex in Beirut, Lebanon, at a cost of around $1 billion. The new Riyadh embassy will aim for an unspecified LEED certification through its construction.
Also in the Kingdom, Morphosis is attached to design a significant portion of The Line, Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion 'smart city' megadevelopment and the centerpiece to NEOM’s expanding list of seven other satellite resorts.
Seattle-based Integrus Architecture is the architect of record, while Caddell Construction Co., LLC of Montgomery, Alabama, is the design-build contractor.
An expected completion date for the project was available at press time.
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