Crown Prince Unveils Saudi Architecture Map Featuring 19 Architectural Styles Inspired by Kingdom’s Geographic and Cultural Features
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, has unveiled the Saudi architectural map featuring 19 architectural styles inspired by the geographical and cultural characteristics of the kingdom. This initiative is part of his efforts to celebrate the urban heritage, enhance the quality of life, and develop urban landscapes in Saudi cities in line with the goals of Vision 2030.
The Crown Prince, who also chairs the High Committee for Saudi Architectural Design Guidelines, emphasized that Saudi architecture reflects the cultural and geographical diversity of the kingdom. He highlighted that this is part of the kingdom’s efforts to develop sustainable urban cities that harmonize with the local nature and employ traditional architectural styles in modern ways.
He stated, “Saudi architecture represents a blend of ancient heritage and contemporary design, where we work to improve the urban landscape, enhance the quality of life, achieve a balance between the past and present, and serve as a global inspiration for innovation in architectural design.”
The Saudi architecture aims to enhance the architectural diversity of the kingdom, support urban landscape improvements in its cities, and empower local capabilities. It is expected that Saudi architecture will contribute over 8 billion Riyals to the cumulative GDP, in addition to providing more than 34,000 job opportunities directly and indirectly in the engineering, construction, and urban development sectors by 2030.
Saudi architecture relies on flexible design guidelines that allow the use of local construction materials without imposing additional financial burdens on property owners or developers. It is based on three main styles – traditional, transitional, and contemporary – enabling creative design while preserving the authentic architectural style of each city and geographic area. The design guidelines will be implemented starting with major governmental and commercial buildings in the first phase in cities such as Al-Ahsa, Taif, Mecca, and Abha.
The Saudi architectural map includes 19 architectural styles, each reflecting the geographical, natural, and cultural characteristics of the region it is inspired from. These styles are not linked to the administrative divisions of the kingdom but are based on urban and historical studies reflecting the inherited building patterns across generations.
The efforts to implement Saudi architecture will be integrated through partnerships between government entities, engineering offices, and real estate developers. The engineering design studios will provide the necessary support to engineers and designers to ensure the highest standards of quality and sustainability, in addition to providing engineering guidelines and training workshops to qualify local competencies.
