Al Uqair Museum

Our intervention is primarily a territorial one. We aim to see the site of Al Uqair as one big territorry of interactions between nature and culture.

In the present, the site is composed of three major areas with: the port; its administration and the fort. Even though the buildings have been reconditioned, they remain unused and need to be re adapted for the future masterplan.

Our proposal articulates the whole site by using only one architectural element, which connects the different existing realities. The museum is a sloping experience that extends from the old fort to the coast and into the sea. The takes the visitor to the foundations of the Al Uqair fort and to the surface where marine life is challenged. The elongated line is intercepted by various adjacent programs that enrich the visitor’s experience and complement the program: a library, an auditorium, a dining space, a research facility and a floating platform. The existing structures remain almost untouched, with only delicate interventions being made.

The sloping form emerging from the landscape aims to become a local landmark and attract visitors repetedly, with an ever changing space to experience.

CREDITS

Lead architect: Clément Blanchet Architecture
Client: Saudi Ministry of Culture
Nature of the operation: Competition, 2nd prize
Realised in: 2022
Site: Al Uqair, Saudi Arabia
Program: Museum and conservation site
Budget: NA

TEAM COMPOSITION

Architect: BK Club Architectes
Engineering: Egis
Scenography: dUCKS scéno
Landscape: Atelier LD
Programmer: Annabelle Diot