It may seem ironic, but even petroleum research centers can be LEED certified if they meet the critieria. Case in point: the King Abudullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC for short), designed by Zaha Hadid, is aiming for LEED Platinum. To be built in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the state of the art campus will house research and development facilities on energy and environmental exploration and analysis. We take that to read studies on better ways of finding more petroleum (which is hardly a practice we consider to be green) but at least the building itself is striving to be earth-friendly.
KAPSARC’s main building is a crystalline structure composed of modular six-sided cells with many connections between them, as well as a series of shaded outdoor spaces, gardens, and underground tunnels. Nearby, a modern library and conference center will aid in the center’s quest to become a preeminent energy research center. The KAPSARC complex will also feature a residential complex and recreational facilities for in-kingdom and expatriate researchers and their families.
Who wouldn’t want to go to school there?
A new era has come: More is Less
only because i worked on this project… half the images are designed by another firm, HOK.
HOK completed the overall masterplan plus the residential and community areas. Zaha Hadid is the architect for the ceullular structure seen in the large pics/ top row of smaller pics.
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