AlUla Design Award makes its debut at the Saudi Design Festival
In its inaugural edition, the AlUla Design Award (ADA) launched an Open Call, inviting Saudi, regional and international designers to deliver product concepts inspired by the heritage, nature and art of AlUla – a spectacular desertscape with an oasis, and the heart of the ancient Incense Road.
More than 400 submissions were received and reviewed by an esteemed jury panel, tasked with selecting six winners of the award from each of the VIP Gifting and Commercial Retail categories. AlUla Design Award will be presented in a special pavilion at the Saudi Design Festival in JAX District, Diriyah, Riyadh between January 10-29, 2022. The pavilion includes multiple sections for exploration: a sensory experience rich with the aesthetics and materiality of AlUla, an Inspired by AlUla presentation exhibiting previously-designed products, and the winners showcase that will reveal the journey of the participants in the competition.
The AlUla Design Award pavilion will also stage keynotes from experts and practitioners, and host the award ceremony happening on the 26th of January, 2022. The selected winners will have their designs produced and presented at AlUla’s cultural retail outlets and through a range of communication platforms.
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5 reasons to visit the AlUla Design Exhibition at Dubai Design Week 2021
This year marks the first time Royal Commission for AlUla has taken part in Dubai Design Week, the annual week-long festival celebrating design and creativity in the UAE and beyond taking place 8-13 November 2021. Here are five reasons you should visit the AlUla Design Exhibition this week:
1. The AlUla Design exhibition gives insight to the design community on how master planning and architecture can integrate deep history, culture heritage and nature into new living environments
2. Understand what the future of Sustainable Tourism would look like!
3. An opportunity to explore AlUla, one of the world’s emerging design cities through images and videos.
4. Be a part of AlUla Design Talks by Samantha Cotterell, the Royal Commission for AlUla’s (RCU) Executive Director of Design and other architects who have contributed to AlUla design.
5. Get a chance to meet the designers and architects who are developing one of the world’s most extraordinary heritage destinations.
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AECOM partners with Royal Commission for AlUla to provide training to the local community in North West Saudi Arabia
Partnering with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), AECOM is delivering project management and leadership training to the local community of AlUla, supporting RCU’s strategic mission to develop the region’s human capital and build a thriving economy.
“RCU is one of our key government clients with whom we are partnering to transform the country under Saudi Vision 2030,” said AECOM’s Soner Keskinel, Vice President, Program Management and Construction Management (PMCM) in Saudi Arabia. “As we develop the heritage-rich AlUla into a world-class destination for nature and culture, an important responsibility is ensuring the local people have the skills that will prepare them for success in the modern job market, enabling them to be active participants in the region’s economic and cultural development.”
The program is being delivered virtually using AECOM’s global learning management platform, with content developed in close collaboration between RCU leaders and subject-matter experts from AECOM’s local team, as well as regional and global resources. Designed with careful consideration to the needs of the local community, the program consists of seven leadership and project management modules that combine guided, expert-led sessions with self-study and online assessments, ending with a case study assessment.
Mohamed S. Alshamari, Chief Economic and Social Development Officer at RCU, said: “HRH Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s vision puts developing people before place. So at the heart of establishing AlUla as a vibrant cultural destination is developing our community’s skills-base, creating new economic opportunities and improving their quality of life. Such large-scale transformation is best achieved through public-private partnerships similar to the collaboration between RCU and AECOM.”
The first cohort of the training program successfully ran from 21 March 21-May 31, 2021, with 94 participants. The second cohort will be welcomed in August.
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