The campus at Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), offers state-of-the-art educational facilities in all major academic disciplines to as many as 60,000 female undergraduate students.
The largest university designed for women in the world and comprised of 32 million square feet (three million square meters), PNU is a global leader in 21st century learning.
Unlike most campuses that often take decades to take shape - all the facilities at PNU were built concurrently. For the first time ever, photographs are being shared with the public.
Perkins+Will and Dar created a women- only environment for the majority of the campus (only the Medical Center and limited areas of the research center are co-ed).
Regional architecture and cultural tradition inspired the use of latticework partitions or mashrabiy’yah to strategically screen students for privacy in exterior spaces and allow more visibility within the campus.
The highly collaborative project, led by Design Principal Pat Bosch, involved approximately 150 Perkins+Will professionals from five offices, integrating multiple practice disciplines from architecture and interiors to branded environments and wayfinding.
Perkins+Will designed PNU's Health Sciences and Research Campus, Academic Medical Campus, Academic Campus, K-12 schools, and Sports and Recreational facilities.
The master plan, administrative core and residential buildings, a campus-wide monorail, and the overall infrastructure were designed by Dar Al-Handasah, the architect and engineer of record, which also dedicated 150 people to the project.
Located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the majority of the PNU campus buildings are registered with the USGBC's LEED® rating system, with certification goals of LEED Gold and LEED Certified. At the time the projects were registered, they doubled the number of LEED projects in Saudi Arabia.
“This project was of great significance personally and professionally,” said Bosch. “This is the kind of transformative design project our firm aspires to deliver: to make a difference and help partner with a country’s leadership’s vision.”
Location: Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Architect: Perkins+Will
Patner: Dar Al Handasah
APM and Road infrastructure: Dar Al Handasah
Structural Engeneers: Dar Al Handasah
Site Area: 2,000 Acres (800 Hectares)
Buiding Area: 3 million sq m
Year: 2011
Photo: Bill Lyons