Mustafa Chehabeddine and Bruce Fisher discuss KPF’s forthcoming project in New Murabba, Riyadh, and design responses to the unique urban challenges of the Middle East.
A recent article in Fast Company traces Saudia Arabia’s urban design response to the challenges of densification, climate change, and population growth. Among the potential solutions is the “five-minute oasis” concept KPF developed for a new residential district in New Murrabba, near Riyadh. The development is part of the Kingdom’s push to upgrade existing cities and build new ones in accordance with an improved smart city model, which uses advanced technology, such as digital twin modeling, to optimize resource use and operate efficiently. KPF Principal Mustafa Chehabeddine explains how KPF’s design for New Murabba seeks to offer its residents an increased level of convenience and account for seasonal extreme heat conditions: “We’re implementing five-minute communities within the neighborhood, with pedestrian heat refuges provided every one or two minutes, whether that’s a shop, shaded landscape area, or protected courtyard.”
Bruce Fisher speaks broadly to the design challenges of city planning projects across the country, including in New Murabba. Implementing smart infrastructure into established cities means contending with existing infrastructure and human behavior. Seeking to design a city that will encourage pedestrianism and shift the current prevailing use of private cars in Riyadh, Bruce references the historic, walkable Al-Balad district of Jeddah as an example of human-centric design that can be enhanced by technology and updated for modern living. “Transit is the critical enabler of this kind of smart, culturally resonant, and environmentally responsive urbanism — one that puts people, rather than cars, at the center of urban form,” Bruce contends. “A kilometer of mass transit may lack the visual drama of a kilometer-tall tower, but the two work best in tandem — transit unlocks the density.”
Read more about urban design in Saudi Arabia here.
