Chapman Taylor has unveiled the design for the 9.3-hectare Central Park at the proposed Airport City project in Jeddah. The park is designed as a large botanical garden, which combines elegant landscaping with culture, leisure activities for all ages, retail and dining, the firm said.
The 18,000sqm of gross leasable area within the park will include a discovery pavilion, a sensorial pavilion, as well as a science and children’s pavilions, as well as an arts park, a children’s park and a floating food village. The design for the park combines the best of modernity with local heritage, culture and history, creating lasting memories for those who visit it, a statement from the firm noted.
Construction of Airport City is due to commence before the end of the year and will be a world-class mixed-use development adjacent to King Abdulaziz International Airport, an upcoming destination for visitors from across Saudi Arabia and the GCC region, the firm explained. It is designing the transport-orientated urban development for SARH Airport Development and Real Estate Investment, jointly with AE Prime as a lead consultant and project manager.
Chapman Taylor stated that the 1.91m sqm GBA masterplan for Airport City introduces a new mixed-use community concept to the region, creating diverse tourism and business opportunities, while providing a dynamic lifestyle and family entertainment venue. The firm said the park sits at the heart of the Airport City masterplan, close to the business district and its hotels, serviced apartments and exhibition and conference centres. The space will be a vibrant link between the central spine of the masterplan, the lifestyle centre, the high-speed railway station and the new airport terminal, the firm noted.
The wider Airport City scheme will deliver a dynamic and sustainable mix of provisions around a central avenue, which links the airport’s railway station to the airport’s dedicated mosque, remarked a company spokesperson.
He explained, “Included within the masterplan are shops, leisure and entertainment functions, healthcare clinics, private residences, a financial district, an artisans’ district, a green food yard and a central artists’ district. A ‘Saudi Dreams’ centre will provide an ideal showcase for the Kingdom’s culture and ambitions.”
According to him, the project creates a new hub gateway to Jeddah and beyond at the strategically important meeting point of the airport, high-speed railway station and the motorway junction between central Jeddah and the Northern Expansion Zone. Green spaces and water features are provided throughout the development, along with public squares, a village street, a family promenade and other beautifully landscaped areas, he concluded.