The Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Riyadh was designed Henning Larsen in the early 1980’s. It is considered as one of their more significant projects, and has been the recipient of the Aga Khan award in its 1987-1989 Cycle. This administrative building is situated on an 85,000 m² plot south of AlNamudajiah district and two kilometers west of Almurabba central area. The project was founded on an architectural competition in 1979 in collaboration with the Union Internationale des Architects. Architects invited to the competition include Renzo Piano and Tom Rice, Bofill/Taller de Arquitectura, Fri Otto, as well as Arata Isozaki (1). Henning Larsen was awarded the project based on his poetic weaving of Najdi vernacular and Danish simplicity. The monumental building is cladded with a simple limestone exterior that encloses a variety of interior spaces comprised of a variety of intimate barrel-vaulted corridors, courtyards and public spaces. The triangular plan is centered around a four-story lobby that leads to three main octagonal dome-covered plazas that center the ministry’s three main offices: political affairs, economic and cultural affairs, and administrative affairs. This balanced hierarchy of spaces combines intimate and monumental spaces that transition seamlessly through the use of formal gardens and the filtration of daylight from the perimeter walls by means of these open to the sky spaces as well as by skylights. In addition to the office spaces for ministry staff, the building also includes meeting, conference and prayer rooms; banquet, library, auditorium, exhibition and parking facilities. The building recently underwent an extensive restoration and upgrading that included the integration of an extra floor level in the roof. (1)Santelli, Serge. “Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” Technical Review Summery, Aga Khan award, 1989.