Al Balad Archeological Centre

The project is realized as a consequence of the objectives of the master plan within the context of the parameters of the existing site. The project is a design action offering a process of discovery of the past, engagement with the present and unveiling of the future.

The project is linked to its context by a grid of public networks. The grid concept is predominant in the project: an urban grid, an excavation grid. The organization of the buildings is based on a grid of different scales. This grid logically delimits public and work spaces, storage and laboratory areas, and so on. This grid also governs the public circulation of scientific and technical teams, logistical traffic and the movement of people with reduced mobility.

The Jeddah Archaeological Center is first and foremost an urban decision. We see the project as an opportunity to "stitch together" the pre-existing urban existence. We decided that the project should coordinate the city, that it should be a research center offering the best conditions for examining finds, but that it should also allow the public to discover the place and touch certain artifacts.

The Al Balad archaeological center expresses a direct relationship with its historical Hijazi architectural context. More specifically, the fundamental architectural elements and compositional rules of vernacular architecture guided the design of the new centre.

The building's materiality and structural systems are rooted in and inspired by the traditional Tekaleel construction methods of Al Balad's historic buildings. A concrete framed structural system is integrated with stone and timber structural elements in the façade, to contribute to the coherence and richness of Al Balad's context.

CREDITS

Architect: Clément Blanchet Architecture
Client: Saudi Ministry of Culture
Nature of the operation: Competition
Realised in: 2023
Site: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Program: Archeology site
Budget: NA