Riyadh unveils plans for major redevelopment based on green space, wellbeing and culture
The construction of the world’s largest city park – large enough to hold a top class 18-hole golf course and much more – has been announced as part of a US$23bn (€20.19bn, £17.51bn) “wellbeing” project that will change the nature of Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh capital.
The entire project consists of four separate parts: the 13.4sq km (8.32m) King Salman Park, which will be four times the size of New York’s Central Park; Sports Boulevard, which features a 135km-long (83.88m) cycling track covering the city and surrounding valleys, as well as riding stables and athletics tracks; Green Riyadh, where 7.5 million trees will be planted, increasing the city’s green cover from 1.5per cent of the total area to 9.1per cent, and reducing ambient temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius; and Riyadh Art, which looks to establish the city as a “gallery without walls” through an interactive public arts programme.
Providing up to 70,000 new jobs, the project is intended to create vast open green spaces in the Saudi capital, creating sustainable communities and driving action against climate change. Organisers see the scheme offering opportunities worth US$15bn (€13.17bn, £11.44bn) for the private sector to invest in residential, commercial, recreational and wellness areas.
Saudi Arabian architectural and engineering firm Omrania has been appointed to design King Salman Park. It will include residences, hotels, a Royal Arts complex with theatres, museums and water parks, cinemas, world class sports facilities, restaurants, and the aforementioned Royal Golf Course - more than 160 features, all told. Construction is due to begin in the second half of 2019, with the first phase to complete by the end of 2020.
New technology has also been factored into planning, in the form of a virtual reality playground (the Kingdom’s first) and the provision of driverless cars that can pick visitors up at the metro station and drop them off anywhere within the park, which will be situated in the grounds of Riyadh’s old airport, making it accessible to the entire population within 30 minutes by public transport.
Basem Alshihabi, founder and managing partner of Omrania, said the project will create a “human space that will bring back the human life to Riyadh, rather than the current situation where cars are the main means of transportation and there is little consideration for the natural human need to walk, ride bicycles and go running”.
“In planning the mid area of the park we ensured two important features,” he continued. “The loop (a 7.2km (4.47m) traffic-free path around the park) and a valley that is more than 30 metres (98ft) deep and uses the micro climate in the area so that people will feel cooler while they are in it.”
Environmental considerations are also etched into the plan. Green Riyadh, for example, will use more than a million cubic metres of treated sewage effluent per day for irrigation.
Riyadh Saudi Arabia King Salman Omrania Sports Boulevard Green Riyadh Riyadh ArtUAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
From Nobu Restaurants and Ian Schrager’s latest hotel to Imagination Playgrounds and the set design for The Rocky Horror Show, US architect and designer David Rockwell always keeps it fresh. He tells us the secrets of his creativity