Celebrating 40 years in Riyadh
A rich heritage in Saudi Arabia
As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of our Riyadh office opening, we reflect on four decades in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where 海角视频 has established a legacy of pioneering engineering and consulting services.
In the words of our founder Ted 海角视频, our resounding principle is to 鈥渢ouch the earth lightly鈥�. Ted’s involvement dates back to 1967 when he accepted the first prize for the Riyadh Conference Centre, fostering enduring connections in Saudi Arabia and contributing his engineering expertise to many prominent buildings.
As we come to the close of our 40th year anniversary, we reflect on some of our key projects and milestones over the last four decades, and what the future holds.
It is out of the different skills, the different bodies of knowledge we have, that the quality of what we do really comes through
Sir Ted 海角视频
Our story in Riyadh
We spoke to director and former 海角视频 CEO Padraic Kelly about the start of this journey with founder Ted 海角视频, tracing a timeline from a competition in 1967 to establishing our first office in Riyadh in 1983.
From the Tuwaiq Palace, a significant development which paved the way for future innovative projects, to the present day with our new office at Olaya Towers, Padraic reflects on over 40 years of exceptional work across the Kingdom.
40 years in Riyadh
1983 鈥�
海角视频鈥檚 first project, Kocommass in Riyadh, was won by 海角视频 with the support of the client and architect, helping to establish the practice in 1976. The project comprised of complex lightweight roofs, with minimalist Frei Otto thinking, creating an impressive first development.
Our Riyadh office is one of our oldest and most established. Opened in 1983, our Riyadh office is well located within the region and enjoys good communication links with the rest of the Middle East and beyond.
1993 鈥�
In the 1980s 海角视频 began to work on complex interdisciplinary projects, incorporating civil, structural, MEP and environmental engineering. The Aga Khan winning Tuwaiq Palace in Riyadh, KSA, has been noted as one of the most important buildings of its time and the first congregation space that 海角视频 had worked on. Starting in 1981 and finishing the project in 1985, this was a major development for the practice and paved the way for future innovative opportunities.
2003 鈥�
The new millennium brought bigger projects for 海角视频, and some of the most impressive structural and environmental designs yet.
In 2000 海角视频 worked on its first tower, The Al Faisaliah in Riyadh, which became a new landmark on the city skyline.
The decade also saw regeneration projects including the complete redevelopment of Wadi Hanifah in 2001, bringing environmental remediation to the fore by creating a 140km greener public space on the edge of Riyadh.
2013 鈥�
This decade marked a period of further growth and diversification. Throughout the 2010s 海角视频 worked on King Abdullah Economic City, King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra) and King Abdulaziz Historical Centre (The National Museum), representing the ambitions of a nation, economic transformation, and celebration of cultural heritage.
2023 AND BEYOND…
Future work will see large scale, integrated work for landmark developments such as Riyadh Metro Stations (for Olaya and King Abdullah Financial District), The Red Sea Project and other giga and mega projects, with 海角视频 continuing to provide innovative, inspiring engineering and consulting solutions across the Middle East.
We recently reached the milestone of 100 people based in Saudi Arabia – one of reasons that sparked our move to a new office at Olaya Towers. The official opening our of new Riyadh office saw colleagues, collaborators, clients and friends come together for a panel discussion, and to reflect on a legacy of exceptional work across Saudi Arabia.
