KING Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust) in Thuwal, near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,  has been selected as one of this year’s ‘Top-10 Green Projects’ by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE).

The annual awards programme honours sustainable projects resulting from an integrated approach to architecture, natural systems and technology.
Global architecture firm HOK designed the 6.5-million-sq-ft campus on a  9,000-acre site along the Red Sea, 80 km north of Jeddah. Multiple HOK design teams worldwide worked on the 26-building campus, integrating five innovative strategies to create a low-energy, highly sustainable project:
• Structured like traditional Arabic cities, the campus is compressed as much as possible to minimise the amount of exterior envelope exposed to the sun and to reduce outdoor walking distances;
• As found in a traditional suq, shaded and passively cooled circulation thoroughfares are characterised by dramatic light and social spaces;
• The bedouin tent inspired designers to create a monumental roof system that spans across building masses to block sun on building facades and into the pedestrian spine, to facilitate natural ventilation and to filter light. Solar panels covering the surface capture the sun’s energy;
• Passive ventilation strategies of the traditional Arab house influenced the design of iconic, solar-powered wind-towers that harness energy from the sun and wind to passively create air flow in pedestrian walkways, and
• Similar to Arabic screening called ‘mashrabiya,’ the campus shades windows and skylights with an integral shading system that reduces heat loads while creating dramatic dappled light.
The project delivers exceptional performance in the areas of water – 100 per cent wastewater reuse and 42 per cent water reduction; energy – 27.1 per cent annual energy cost savings, 7.8 per cent on-site renewable energy, 80 per cent of glazing shaded year-round; and materials – 20 per cent recycled content, 38 per cent regional materials, 99 per cent wood from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) sources and 80 per cent construction waste management.
Meanwhile, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) has signed a long-term research and innovation agreement with Kaust that calls for the construction of the Sabic Research and Innovation Centre at the university campus, scheduled to begin operations in 2012.
The agreement will create a framework within which Sabic will provide construction funding for the centre as well as support research activities.