The Al-Masar Sports Foundation won the «King Salman Urban Charter» award in its first edition, organized by Architecture and Design Authority to celebrate urban environment projects, in recognition of the project’s excellence in adopting the Charter’s concept and standards in its outcomes through the Al-Masar Sports Urban Code, while the King Abdulaziz International Cultural Center “Ithra,” the King Salman Urban Charter Award in the Built Projects category, at the closing ceremony of the award’s first edition in the capital Riyadh, organized by the Architecture and Design Authority.
The Madinah Region Development Authority won the award in the unbuilt projects category, for which it was honored byArchitecture and Design Authority through the “Mihrab” initiative to establish temporary prayer spaces along highways in the Madinah region.
In detail: Dr. Sumaya Al-Suleiman, CEO of the Architecture and Design Authority, presented the King Salman Urban Charter Award to Jane McGovern, CEO of the Al-Masar Sports Foundation, at the award ceremony’s closing ceremony held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh. The foundation was honored with the award in recognition of its excellence in applying distinctive urban planning standards by incorporating the principles of Salmanic architecture throughout the project in a way that strikes a balance between tradition and modernity, to highlight architectural outputs that are unique in their designs and to create new and innovative visions.
For his part, Abdullah Al-Rashid, Director of the King Abdulaziz International Cultural Center “Ithra,” explained that this achievement reflects the ongoing efforts to design a building with a distinctive architectural identity, that contributes to enriching cultural life in the Kingdom. He noted that the award-winning building is distinguished by its architectural design, which harmonizes with the local environment, utilizing modern and sustainable building materials, as the building was designed to be environmentally friendly through the use of renewable energy technologies and highly efficient water management.
For its part, the Madinah Development Authority affirmed that the “Mahrab”—which was launched in Madinah—aims to be the first initiative in the Kingdom dedicated to developing and designing a comprehensive visual identity for prayer rooms and small mosques, to enhance the urban landscape and reach all regions of the Kingdom— to study and develop temporary prayer areas along major and secondary roads, parks, and remote neighborhoods in the region by creating an architectural visual identity for prayer areas and mosques, and to develop ablution areas and access ramps for people with disabilities—which are of great importance to residents and visitors—with the aim of facilitating prayer for travelers and improving the urban landscape, thereby enhancing quality of life in line with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The first such project in the region was the renovation of a prayer area on the Madinah–Yanbu Expressway, covering an area of 25 square meters and accommodating 20 worshippers.
The award aims to recognize projects that embody the values of King Salman’s Urban Charter, to encourage the adoption of the Charter’s concepts and values in their urban development projects, and to create a competitive environment that results in high-quality projects.
