Ayers Saint Gross Completes Master Plan for Wadi AlFann

Ayers Saint Gross has played a pivotal role in the development of Wadi AlFann (Valley of the Arts), a permanent desert art venue that will be located in AlUla in Saudi Arabia. The site was commissioned by the Royal Commission for AlUla and is envisioned to be a global destination where visitors can experience monumental works of land art. Exhibitors will include U.S. artists James Turrell, Adnes Denes, and Michael Heizer, as well as Saudi artists Ahmed Mater and Manal AIDowayan.

Over the past year, Ayers Saint Gross completed a detailed master plan for Wadi AlFann, which is approximately 15 square miles. As part of the planning process, the firm prioritized landscape and heritage protection while determining multiple options for visitor mobility around the site and in-depth details for land use, character zone, trails, operations, utilities, public realm elements, pavilions and other architectural features.

Ayers Saint Gross will continue to play an influential role in the Wadi AlFann project, serving as guardians of the Master Plan through the site’s opening in 2024, Upon its completion, the project will be a cultural destination that brings together monumental, contemporary art with the awe-inspiring landscapes, geological structures, historic traces, and ecosystems of AlUla’s ancient desert.

The announcement of Wadi AlFann was covered in the international press by Vogue Arabia, Wall Street Journal, artnet, Design Boom, and more. For more information, see the project page here.