Architecture, street art, augmented reality and music – the nine-day program of events aims to present the successful synthesis arising from German and Arabian collaboration and, among other things, pays tribute to the German architects, landscape architects and urban planners who have been working in the Kingdom for a good 50 years. For the architecture exhibition, AS+P presented three outstanding projects that serve as examples documenting the more than 40-year success story of the Frankfurt-based firm: the masterplan for the Diplomatic Quarter, the “Action Area Plan for Transit Oriented Development”, and the ensemble of court buildings in the heart of Riyadh.

In an interview given in front of the Cultural Palace in Riyadh, Joachim Schares recalls the masterplan for the “Diplomatic Quarter”, one of the first projects with which AS+P was commissioned by the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) back in 1977: “Riyadh is a very dynamic city and its population has doubled in the time I’ve been working in urban planning here. This has led to transport projects being initiated, with many new residential districts and mixed-use developments also springing up. A urban planner working in the Kingdom needs to take into account the harsh climate: The typology of the buildings needs to be aligned according to the direction of the wind, and the buildings need to be planned in such a way that they afford one another the utmost shade. Of course, landscape architecture also plays a major role: Water consumption needs to be kept as minimal as possible. For us planners, these are major challenges, but we know it’s essential to consider such factors.”

The exhibition, which ran from November 8 to 16, presents important buildings, urban planning and landscape architecture and shines a light on German-Saudi cultural exchange, according to Ranau, who is the German Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a co-organizer.