Architen Landrell

The KAUST project was born out of the patron's wish to stage a spectacular opening ceremony for the eponymous university which is sited some 80kms north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at the town of Thuwal.

Three buildings were constructed and we were tasked with the fabrication and installation of the PVC membranes to the Ceremonial Theatre and the Exhibition Hall. These measured some 22,000 square meters.

The Ceremonial Theatre hosted the inauguration ceremony proper and the Exhibition Hall housed an interactive area that presented all aspects of KAUST as well as milestones in the history of Arabic, Islamic and world science.

Due to extreme pressures on our own manufacturing capability the decision was taken to entrust the cutting, welding and general fabrication of the PVC membrane to Protan-Elmark of Posnan, Poland.

The fabrication peroid was of extremely short duration and it was essential that we sourced a company that had both the facilities and expertise to deliver a quality product on-time.