Five-part building complex King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture with a homogeneous, rounded façade made of stainless steel tubes from seele using parametric design in the desert in Saudi Arabia behind cacti and palm trees

organic architecture through parametric design

the king abdulaziz center for world culture rises from the desert sand like pebbles

Solid rock weathers into boulders, which erode into smaller stones, which become sand, which then accumulates and forms new shapes. Inspired by this eternal cycle, the architectural firm Snøhetta employed parametric design to create the organically shaped design of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, also known as Ithra. Five building segments, rising up to 90 m into the sky, form spectacular, three-dimensional free-forms, clad in a futuristic metal façade. seele created the building envelope from 350 km of three-dimensionally curved stainless steel tubes – each tube a unique piece designed precisely for its specific installation position.

a façade as unyielding and resilient as the desert itself

Intense sandstorms and extreme heat called for a highly durable material. seele therefore chose to clad the structure with an outer layer of duplex steel tubes, which were custom-bent according to the parametric design to follow the rounded organic shapes of the building.

Façade type
Other constructions
Client
Saudi Aramco
Architect
Snøhetta
Awards

ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Award 2019

 

Detail of a tower and outbuildings of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture with a façade made of parametric design tubes and bands of windows in contrasting colours
Detailed view of the parallel-mounted, parametric designed stainless steel tubes of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture
seele installed curved stainless steel tubes using parametric design for the homogeneous surface of the façade of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture
A building block of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture with a large window made of triangular glass panes in the parametric designed façade made of stainless steel tubes

crafting organic architecture from zeros and ones

Each of the 70,000 tubes was shaped using precise 3D data generated by parametric design software, which controlled bending and measuring machines to meet the exact specifications. The exact assembly sequence was simulated in advance on the computer. This resulted in each tube having its own unique assembly instructions, with QR codes and laser engraving applied to each piece to ensure perfect installation.
 

ultimate precision enabled by parametric design

Despite covering a total area of over 30,000 sqm, seele achieved a precise 10 mm gap between each tube, resulting in a visually cohesive surface texture for the entire organic design. This precision, achieved through parametric design, was the key to the building’s impressively smooth and homogeneous façade.

#madebyseele

Façade of 350 km of stainless steel tubes on a polygonal steel mesh substructure across all 5 buildings — glued laminated timber columns with double glazing — 150 sqm of vertical glass surfaces — monosurface skylights

30,260 sqm
stainless steel tube façade
28,600 sqm
standing-seam façade
2,170 sqm
insulated glass panels and fins
1,700 sqm
twisted glulam columns
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