Project Case Study

KAPSARC
Project: King Abdullah
Petroleum Studies and
Research Centre
Start Date: 2011
Completion Date: 2012
Location: Riyadh, KSA
Industry: Education
Developer: Saudi ARAMCO
Consultant/Architect: Zaha Hadid
Value: US $ 543 Million

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 Project Case Study
KAPSARC

The Project elements, give the landmark a crystal-like identity during the night.

King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre The Entire complex will be LEED Platinum Rated

(KAPSARC) is a future-oriented research and policy centre upon completion, which is the highest level achievable

committed to energy and environmental exploration and under U.S. Green Building Council specifications.

production and analysis. The 887,000 sq feet KAPSARC

campus is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital and largest Architectural highlights of
city. Headquartered in an iconic complex 8 Kms south of King development
Khalid International Airport and designed by world-renowned
The KAPSARC centre resembles a cellular structure of
architect Zaha Hadid, the Centre is the first thing visitors see
crystalline forms. Composed of a network of three-dimensional,
upon arriving in Riyadh and the last they will glimpse before
six-sided cells with many junctions and bonds, its design is
leaving, by airplane.
based on the concept of connections. The modular, adaptive
The Centre’s construction employs a variety of sustainable building is made up of a series of shaded outdoor spaces,
building techniques and advanced technologies. Arranged courtyards, entrances, meeting areas, indoor gardens,
to temper the light and heat of the desert environment, and corridors, underground tunnels and roof terraces.
utilize wind to cool facades and outdoor spaces, the design
The Centre consists of 8 basic areas.
bathes interiors in carefully controlled, soft light. Building
and landscaping mix with the dry-land ecosystem and take 1. Basement
advantage of seasonal breeze to offer temperate zones and 2. Research Center
improve pedestrian comfort. Energy-efficient light sources
3. Library
such as LEDs, powered outside the grid using photovoltaic

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KAPSARC

4. Conference Center Conference Center

5. Musalla The Conference Center is a premium venue for meeting and
large conferences. It consists of 5 cells, built on 2 levels spread
6. IT Center and Backup
over 21,318 m2. The Conference Center has been designed
7. Ancillary Buildings to host external events and conferences and seats around 320
people.
8. Canopy

Musalla
Basement
Musalla is located in the center of the Master Plan. The
The Basement area links the Research Center, Library, and
Musallla comprises of 4 cells, and combines a lobby, courtyard
Conference Center. It has a Public Access Tunnel and also
and a Prayer Room. The Musalla is spread over 1320 m2, with
contains all major plant rooms area. The basement level is at
Structural Steel, Façade and Finishes.
-6.70 SSL and a total gross area of 16,785 m2. As it lies below
the flood level, the basement area is waterproofed on all sides.
IT Center and IT Back-up
Research Center The state of the art IT Center is a one storey building for Data
Center and Office spaces, housing the computational power
The Research Center is the hub of KAPSARC. It consists of 3
of the KAPSARC center. The building has 3 cells, spread over
levels, measuring 23,685 Sq. m. This area combines the three
4504 m2 on two floors.
main departments: Administration, Research and Executive.
The Research Center accommodates a daily population
Canopy
of around 350. The building is made of a group of similar 3
The entire site is under the cover of a unique Canopy at the
dimensional cells, organized around a central courtyard with
ground level, which covers an area of 11,800 m2, made in a
North-South orientation. A multi level public lobby also links all
hexagonal grid, with Treated Exposed Steel and PTFE (Poly-
departments from parking to the place of the ICON.
tetra-Fluoro-Ethylene-Teflon based material) as the shading
Library material.

The public face of KAPSARC, the Library is directly connected

to the Place of the Icon. It is made up of 5 interlocking hexagonal
cells that vary in height. It consists of 2 levels spread over
14,832 m2. The KAPSARC library has been designed to be
cutting edge, and houses both a digital library (books obtained
from online sources, to save paper) and physical shelves to
store books.

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 Project Case Study
KAPSARC

Scope of Work Challenges

Drake & Scull Construction was awarded the contract to The KAPSARC project is a pioneering concept that calls
execute the Civil, Architecture, Interior Architecture, Electro- for very high levels of attention to detail and coordination.
mechanical, External Road & Parking Facilities, Infrastructure The design of the campus is very unique, with complicated
Works, Site Works and Landscaping. structural geometry. The design of external façade and support
steel elements also requires extensive coordination between
Drake & Scull Construction undertook the following project
the various teams on ground.
elements:

• Basement – connecting the 3 main buildings with access While the building itself is normal sized, the KAPSARC
tunnels specifications set new benchmarks when it comes to the level
of detail involved. For e.g., cladding work specifications in most
• 5 Core Buildings (Research Center, Conference Center,
Library, Musalla & IT Center) projects do not exceed parameters for 2 layers, whereas with
KAPSARC, Drake & Scull Construction handles cladding works
• Structural and Façade works
with 6 layers of custom specifications.
• Interface with Novated contractors
The KAPSARC project also requires very high level of
• PMT Offices
technological sophistication, which is why DSC leads the way
with state of the art 3D BIM models that maximized efficiency
and offered virtual walkthroughs of designs, giving design
engineers unparalleled access and flexibility to have a virtual
view of the architecture. Interfacing with other packages like
the KAPSARC Residences and KAPSARC Utilities also adds
another layer of complexity to the project.

KAPSARC is designed to be a LEED Platinum building, which

meant that the energy standards and specifications will be
100% compliant with the most rigorous standards of energy
efficiency.

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 Project Case Study
KAPSARC

DSC Innovation for green building design, construction, operations and

maintenance solutions. Platinum certification is the highest
Work on this massive, prestigious project has been progressing
LEED certification level, and it is considered to be a challenging
at a brisk pace, thanks to the constant interaction that DSC has
target for any project.
with the client. From a technology perspective, DSC upgraded
its technical hardware and know-how, to utilize the latest 3D To ensure that Drake & Scull Construction achieve the

Building Information Modeling (BIM) software to coordinate LEED plan targets to gather all the eligible credits during

the installation of Structural Steel, Supporting secondary steel, the construction phase, the following measures have been

MEP and finishes. implemented on-site.

• Construction materials have been selected to have the least

The BIM models used in the KAPSARC project are
impact on the environment and to assets, which achieves 8
sophisticated tools, capable of storing minute details of each
LEED points.
and every inch of the wall, cladding, flooring, and other sub-
• A high percentage of the construction materials are locally
structures in the virtual world, which can be quickly referenced
harvested & manufactured which reduces the transportation
by the architect/planning engineers before making any design
element on site.
changes. Modern Virtual simulation gives DSC the flexibility to
• DSC has maintained 33% recycled content on site, which
virtually observe the impact of design changes on the structural
proves beneficial to the environment as it reduces virgin
and energy profile of the building before submitting them for
material usage which lowers solid waste volumes.
client approval.
• All the installed wood works in the building are FSC
The KAPSARC project is a landmark project in terms of being certified. In addition, the construction waste management
environmentally friendly, with minimal resource consumption methodology diverts more than 75% of the construction
and maximum recycling on site. DSC has increased the waste from the landfill.

efficiency of its eco-friendly operations, with increased re- • DSC has implemented high standards in the Indoor Air
use of excavated materials, recycling of concrete waste and Quality during the construction & before occupancy by using
optimum waste separation and management. low emitting materials and reducing the pollution during the
construction activities to deliver healthy and clean indoor
The project has an aspiration to achieve LEED Platinum environment.
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification
Upon completion, the iconic KAPSARC project will be the
that has been developed by the US Green Building Council.
flagship project of DSC, and a global landmark that will act as
The LEED ratings system consists of a rating and certification
the benchmark for environmentally friendly mega-projects.

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 Project Case Study
KAPSARC

Project Case Study

KAPSARC

For enquiries and other concerns, please send an email to [email protected]

www.drakescull.com

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