La Biennale di Venezia, 16th International Architecture Exhibition
May 26 - November 25, 2018
1. A Story of Sprawl
Over the past five decades, Saudi urban centers have undergone rapid urbanization. Such undeterred expansion of low-density residential neighborhoods, coupled with pervasive dependence on cars and subsidized gas, has produced a fragmented urban landscape in which 40% of city land remains undeveloped.
The four major metropolitan areas of Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah and Dammam all show the prevalence of vacant land and predominance of the highway – resulting in expanded urban boundaries.
2. A Story of Sprawl
Growth in Saudi Arabia’s major metropolitan areas has accelerated exponentially. From seed urban centers of approximately one square kilometer, 1000-fold expansion resulted in unrestrained spatial consumption. The perpetual growth of these cities over time is animated to demonstrate the speed of development.
3. From the Car Seat
Snapchat heatmaps of user-generated data combine the geography of place with social interaction. The maps reveal a socially-generated city, highlighting concentrations of activity and places of gathering.
Unfiltered views onto everyday urban life underscore the predominance of the car as the means to experience and consume the city.
4. From the Car Seat
Saudi cities were built for the car; today they are encountered through its windows. Although it allows freedom of movement, it can also create a feeling of isolation.
Here, through recordings, visitors experience firsthand the visual and auditory quality of driving through major urban centers.
5. Isolation and Inclusion
Architecture and urbanism determine quality of life in cities. Space, whether public or private, can be inclusive, bringing people together. It can also be exclusive, keeping people out.
This space offers the opportunity to be part of a group and experience the soundscapes of social gatherings in Saudi cities, as well as creating spaces of isolation.
The Forum
Urban sprawl has resulted in vacancy and underutilization of land. The distinction between city center and city edge becomes unclear.
Born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1985
Lives and works in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1988
Lives and works in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Lives and works in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Lives and works in Dammam, Saudi Arabia