King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Engineering and Science Building
Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Thomas Knittel led the design of the 220,000 sq. ft. facility (and the envelope design team campus-wide), which required intensive collaboration among five HOK offices to meet the 30 month design and construction schedule. The largest project in HOK history; when completed it was the largest LEED Platinum project in the world, and has received numerous awards including AIA Top Ten Green and Lab of the Year.
Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Thomas Knittel led the design of the 220,000 sq. ft. facility (and the envelope design team campus-wide), which required intensive collaboration among five HOK offices to meet the 30 month design and construction schedule. The largest project in HOK history; when completed it was the largest LEED Platinum project in the world, and has received numerous awards including AIA Top Ten Green and Lab of the Year.
The project required creative solutions to programmatic, environmental, cultural and urban conditions. The building is over 600 feet long, and forms a gateway to the plaza leading to the Red Sea. The harsh Saudi climate is mitigated by shade and air movement. CFD analysis led to breaking the building into three masses to induce airflow across the plaza and building entrances. The masses are connected by a varied system of bridges sheathed in translucent stone. The central lobby has a narrow atrium that references the 15th century meridian sextant by Persian astronomer Ulugh Beg; during the summer solstice, shafts of light chart movement through the atrium over a 30 minute interval.
The building houses classrooms, teaches labs, auditoria, faculty and deans offices and support spaces. State of the art mechanical systems inculde chilled beams and displacment ventilation in assembly and office areas. Elevated exterior courts, protected by terra cotta and glass mashrabya screens, references a long-held strategy for climate-responsiveness.