Ithra

The first in-depth exploration of the award-winning King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Saudi Arabia, designed by Norwegian architects Snøhetta

Ithra, also known as the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, is an unprecedented architectural achievement. Designed on a monumental scale by the Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta, built by Saudi Aramco, and inaugurated by King Salman bin Abdulaziz in late 2017, Ithra has been listed in Time magazine as one of the world’s top 100 places to visit and is the winner of Project of the Year and Best Innovative Project of the Year at the Construction Innovation Awards in 2019.

This multi-purpose cultural institution, with its unusual geometric sculptures, is one of a kind in contemporary architecture. With stunning imagery and a holographic wrap-around case, the book offers an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration for Ithra, from the competition process and selection of the architect to its complex construction and reveals the story behind this striking architectural gem, from its inception to its realization.

James Steele is Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He has written a number of books including Architecture Today, Pierre Koenig, Los Angeles Architecture and Queen Mary, all published by Phaidon.

Mashary Al-Naim is Professor and Director of the National Built Heritage Center at the College of Architecture and Planning of the Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.