Ayers Saint Gross prioritized both cultural and landscape preservation and restoration while leading the planning efforts for the Wadi AlFann concept as well as in the development of the project’s vision and goals.

The detailed master plan includes an assessment of existing site conditions, an overview of artist site locations and development criteria, landscape galleries or landscape protection zones, the identification of critical protected view-shed corridors, plans for site access from surrounding areas, as well as internal mobility within Wadi AlFann. The team also provided guidance for signage and wayfinding, utility infrastructure, and operational aspects that should be implemented to support visitor movement and site control.

A thoroughly planned public realm including artist sites, trails, comfort stations, roadways, and pavilions, will allow for a comfortable and accessible experience that will maximize the broadest population of users without compromising the design intent and landscape vision of Wadi AlFann.

A series of pavilions will support the visitor experience as places to gather, rest, and refresh in the desert landscape, and launching points for various activities to be enjoyed while visiting the site. Design guidelines and detailed programming have been developed drawing inspiration from the landscape. Each pavilion will be designed with artistic expressions of the landscape, natural color palette, and materiality while maintaining views of the site.

The plan accounts for mobility networks for various modes of transportation including electric 4×4 Wadi AlFann vehicles and hiking. A network of trails and roadways will create connections between the most breathtaking moments within Wadi AlFann and land art found throughout the site. Designated trail interventions, including rock clearings, switchbacks, carved stairs, platforms, and bridges will be used sparingly to highlight significant landscape features along with a series of beacons (or small shade structures) that provide wayfinding and emphasize landscape vistas throughout the site.

The ultimate vision for the site is centered on revelation and discovery, with awe-inspiring arts encounters integrated into the vast and extraordinary landscape and heritage of Wadi AlFann. It is also a cultural landmark where cultural exchange and a new paradigm for art in the landscape will inspire and enrich national, regional, and global visitors.

The Planning Process

Through close partnership with the client, the Ayers Saint Gross team have become experts of the site and its complex landscape. Spending hundreds of hours on the ground, utilizing multiple techniques in mapping, the team has detailed their extensive knowledge of the site into the masterplan.

As trusted advisors and in partnership with RCU, the Ayers Saint Gross team will continue to be stewards of the masterplan, vision, and development of Wadi AlFann.