Location
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Middle East
Overview
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s first university specialising in health sciences empowers generations of healthcare providers.
A leading public university specialising in the health sciences, the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) is a first-of-its-kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the GCC region, with a mission to train exceptional healthcare providers, drive research and innovation, and elevate healthcare in the Kingdom and beyond.
The university provides over 17,000 students with advanced educational programs in healthcare, delivered in an academic environment that fosters excellence in innovative learning, scientific research, patient care, and community health.
Working for the Saudi National Guard and building on a concept design by signature architect Perkins&Will, Dar delivered the detailed design and supervised the construction of the university’s three iconic campuses: in Riyadh, in Jeddah, and in Al Hasa.
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The project
The Riyadh Campus
A modern, purpose-built campus that prioritises functionality, accessibility, and sustainability, the Riyadh campus features a central axis, seamlessly connecting major academic, administrative, and recreational facilities with open courtyards and pedestrian thoroughfares flanked by palm-lined and shaded walkways.
As the iconic gateway to the KSAU academic campus, the Academic Administration Building embodies a harmonious blend of modern innovation and traditional Islamic architecture. Its inviting open ground floor serves as a vibrant gathering space, seamlessly connecting to prominent campus features like the Conference Centre and the Medical Heritage Museum. The tower’s upper floors house key administrative offices, including the President’s Suite and the Scientific Council meeting room, while its lower levels support essential administrative services. The ground floor enriches campus life with conference facilities, lecture halls, and dining spaces, unified by a welcoming reception hall. Designed with deep recessed façades inspired by historic arches, the building provides natural shading and reflects the region’s heritage while symbolising KSAU’s contemporary leadership in academia. Enhanced by landscaped gardens and outdoor courtyards, this architectural masterpiece was designed as a showcase of the university’s promise of academic excellence, cultural identity, and sustainable design.
Within the campus, state-of-the-art academic buildings are clustered together in a central colleges complex that houses the campus’ colleges of medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, applied medical sciences and more.
Meanwhile, healthcare facilities (such as the King Abdullah Paediatric Specialty Hospital) and research centres such as the King Abdullah Biomedical Research Centre create a seamless connection between educational and clinical facilities and offer opportunities for advanced medical research (including post-doctorate research) and innovation.
Residential accommodations – including villas, townhouses, apartments, and suites – coupled with a sports and recreation district as well as community amenities such as a mosque for over 1,500 worshippers set the foundations for a thriving, vibrant and dynamic student community.
Dar also designed the full infrastructure networks supporting this exceptional campus, prominently including a sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 12,000 m3/day, a solid waste management plan, and a 10 MVA power plant.
The Jeddah Campus
The campus harmoniously blends contemporary and Islamic architectural styles. Organised around a quadrangle that features a main mosque in an open courtyard, the campus spotlights a semicircular administration complex with a glass curtain wall, strategically positioned on an axis with the mosque. The courtyards then lead to the state-of-the-art educational facilities, including the colleges of medicine, nursing, science and health professions, applied medical sciences, the deanship of higher studies; and the research precinct featuring the clinical skills development centre and the King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre in Jeddah.
The Jeddah Campus also offers its over 4,000 students a sports and recreation precinct, villas, townhouses, apartments and suites, and community amenities such as mosques, a restaurant, and more. To support this exceptional campus, Dar designed extensive infrastructure networks, prominently including a 6,000 m3/day-capacity sewage treatment plant, a solid waste management plan, a power plant, and more.
Al Hasa Campus
Like the Riyadh and Jeddah campuses, the Al Hasa campus features exceptional academic facilities, concentrated in a central colleges complex with colleges of nursing, science and health professions, applied medical sciences, and the deanship of higher studies; the clinical skills development centre; and a research centre.
Echoing its sister campuses, the complex in Al Hasa features distinctive Islamic architecture, embedded in a modern design that enhances accessibility and sustainability, establishing a thriving student community with world-class sports, recreation, accommodation, and community amenities and facilities. Its supporting infrastructure includes a 3,000 m3/day-capacity sewage treatment plant, a solid waste management plan, a power plant, and more.
By fostering generations of healthcare providers and cultivating a legacy of research and excellence, KSAU-HS not only elevates healthcare standards within the Kingdom but also inspires transformative change across the region. Its meticulously designed campuses—each blending heritage with cutting-edge functionality—embody a commitment to sustainability, community, and academic brilliance. As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's first university dedicated to health sciences, KSAU-HS symbolises a bold vision for the future, where education, innovation, and humanity intersect to shape a healthier, more compassionate world.
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