Tuwaiq Palace

Named after the nearby Tuwaiq mountain, it was built in 1985 by OHO Joint Venture, a team composed of Frei Otto, Buro Happold, and Omrania.

[4] At the heart of the concept is the need for physical protection from the environment in contrast to the desire to view the unique panorama available from the site.

The concept became one of a series of contrasts: light and heavy, garden and desert, modern and traditional technology, openness and solidity.

The Tuwaiq Palace contains 24,000 square meters of recreational, social, dining, banqueting, conference and accommodation functions.

Architectural historian and critic Chris Abel,[5] a visiting professor at Ulster University Belfast, described Tuwaiq Palace as "a hybrid of mixed materials and techniques... creating a powerful fusion of traditional forms and modern technologies, carefully set into the desert landscape on the edge of the city.