The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture is a bold new initiative on the part of the Saudi Aramco Oil Company to promote cultural development within the Kingdom.
![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-04.jpg)
Following an invited architectural design competition in 2007, Snøhetta has been selected to design this prestigious cultural facility.
![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-03.jpg)
Located in Dhahran, in the eastern province, the cultural center will provide for a wide range of activities serving the local population and becoming a cultural landmark on a regional, national, and global horizon.
![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-02.jpg)
When completed, the project will contain some 45 000m2 of diverse cultural facilities, including an auditorium, cinema, library, exhibition hall, museum, and archive.
![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-05.jpg)
The auditorium will seat 930 visitors and will provide for a wide range of events ranging from opera, symphony concerts, musicals, and speeches etc. Together with the smaller cinema, this will be an unrivalled venue for the performing arts in the Kingdom.
![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-06.jpg)
The library will become a center for learning, containing some 300 000 books on open access, and catering for all ages and categories of users.
![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-07.jpg)
The great exhibition hall will accommodate large scale travelling exhibitions, as well as providing the setting for social events, banquets, and conferences.
![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-08.jpg)
The museum and archive facilities connect the vibrant cultural life of the center to the past and to the very roots of the society from which this center is conceived.
![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-09.jpg)
On May 20, 2008, the foundation stone was laid by King Abdullah. The Cultural Center is expected to be completed in 2017. An opening date is not yet announced. Source by Snøhetta.
![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-10.jpg)
- Location: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
- Architects: Snøhetta
- Client: Saudi Aramco
- Status: Under construction
- Size: 100 000m2
- Year: expected 2017
- Photographs: Courtesy of Snøhetta
![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-11.jpg)
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![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-18.jpg)
![King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/King-Abdulaziz-Centre-for-World-Culture-by-Snohetta-19.jpg)