King Abdullah Economic City is a major new economic centre benefitting from a substantial new port facility and a station on the Haramain high speed train line, as well as being home to the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
Having carried out an economic baseline analysis and an industry sector review, Buro Happold’s economics team developed a full economic strategy. This identified potential target occupants of the city’s proposed industrial areas and the mechanisms by which investments in land holdings could be converted into sustainable economic activity.
Following our initial work, we were appointed to provide the full range of engineering services necessary to design sustainable transport, energy, water, waste management and earthworks strategies, to maximise use of available resources, enhance the natural environment and minimise infrastructure costs.
The original KAEC masterplan responded with extensive concrete drainage systems that had been sized to cope with 1 in 100 year events, which meant that they were expensively over-sized. Our innovative naturalised approach to storm water management took a broader ‘system’ view, combining pipes and concrete channels with swales, rivers and wadis to ensure that the scheme was not burdened with over-engineered and costly conventional solutions. This had the added advantage of creating high quality green spaces for residents to enjoy for much of the year.
The road system in the original masterplan featured major dual carriageways that carved their way through the planned city. Although urban road systems need to cope efficiently with the predicted volume of traffic, our experience of successful developments has clearly demonstrated that large roads that dominate the urban landscape are hostile to pedestrians and cyclists, and difficult for effective public transport. Therefore, our approached sought to define a more ‘proportional’ scale; with spaces around the roads that invite people in, helping to create vibrant communities, yet with enough space to enable dedicated bus lanes or trams to be added when the demand has grown.
With its port on the Red Sea and its station linking it to the Haramain railway, KAEC offers the best possible trade and transport links in Saudi Arabia. The scheme also includes expansive areas dedicated to housing, including coastal and downtown zones. Our work has ensured that the development will be an economic success while offering high quality living and working environments.
