Towaiq Palace: Difference between revisions
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* [http://www.omrania.com Omrania official website] |
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Revision as of 22:21, 8 November 2010
Towaiq Palace or Tuwaiq Palace is a recreational facility for the diplomatic corps in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
After an international competition in 1981, Omrania in association with Frei Otto and Buro Happold were awarded the design and site supervision of what was then called the Diplomatic Club.
The Towaiq Palace is a response to the unique opportunities presented by the site, a design worthy of the majestic promontory site overlooking the sweeping Wadi Hanifeh below.
At the heart of the concept is the need for physical protection from the environment in contrast to the desire to view the unique panorama available from the site. The concept became one of a series of contrasts: light and heavy, garden and desert, modern and traditional technology, openness and solidity.
Statistically, the Towaiq Palace which was originally designed as a club for the Diplomatic Community contains 24,000 m.sq. of recreational, social, dining, banqueting, conference and accommodation functions. Such diverse functions as a tenpin bowling alley, crèche, billiards, library, secretariats and hotel rooms are combined with the usual club facilities of swimming, tennis, squash, sauna, exercise, lounges, social rooms and formal and informal dining. All technical, mechanical and staff-related functions to support such a facility are included within the Palace.
Omrania along ADA, Frei Otto and Buro Happold were awarded in 1998 the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the project renamed the Towaiq Palace.[1][2] His Royal Majesty the King of Spain presented the awards.
References
- ^ Edwards, Brian (2006). Courtyard housing: past, present and future. Taylor & Francis. p. xvi. ISBN 9780415262729.
- ^ "An Islamic Reminder of the Sacred in Design". The New York Times. 11 October 1998. Retrieved 7 November 2010.