Geometric Oasis

This proposal for the Mujassam Watan Urban Sculpture Challenge reflects the Kingdom’s transformative journey under Vision 2030, uniting heritage and future in a landmark that is both beacon and oasis. 

Rooted in primitive geometries—the cube and pyramid—derived from the eight-pointed star, a symbol deeply embedded in Arabian tradition, the form is animated through alignments with Mecca, the Prophet’s Mosque, the Hima cultural landscape, and Al-Ula. Stable yet in motion, the geometry embodies Saudi Arabia’s trajectory from its deep past toward a bold future. 

The material palette narrates this evolution: water animates and cools the site, coral limestone grounds the design in heritage, and concrete—recast as light and dynamic—expresses modernization. Durable and climate-appropriate, these elements respond to the Gulf’s sun, wind, and sea air while embracing material details that shape human experience.  

At the urban scale, the sculpture serves as a landmark visible from Corniche Road and the new developments of Al-Khobar, enhancing the identity of the waterfront. At the human scale, it becomes a shaded civic oasis, cooled by breezes and water, offering respite, reflection, and gathering. Integrated seating and walkable edges invite the public to inhabit the work, turning sculpture into lived space. 

Designed for feasibility as well as symbolism, the form can be realized through standard construction practices, with careful attention to stability, assembly, and long-term maintenance. In this way, the project transcends aesthetics to become a connective civic space — a dialogue between tradition and innovation, landscape and city, past and future — at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s evolving identity.