Sports Boulevard Foundation wins “King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism Award”

The Sports Boulevard Foundation has won the prestigious “King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism award” organized by the Architecture and Design Commission. The award is in recognition of the project’s excellence in embracing the principles and standards of the charter through the implementation of the design code for the Sports Boulevard.

 Dr. Sumayah Al-Sulaiman, the CEO of Architecture and Design Commission presented the award to the CEO of the Sports Boulevard Foundation, Ms. Jayne McGivern, during the award's closing ceremony at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh.

The Sports Boulevard Foundation won the award with its integration of unique design code and a commitment to applying the design code, which balances authenticity and modernity, showcasing innovative and distinct urban outputs.

The award seeks to celebrate and recognize projects that distinguish themselves by embodying the values of the King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism.

The award aims to contribute to achieving the objectives of the Charter and to encourage and motivate entities, practitioners, and students to incorporate the Charter’s values into their own work and outputs to help foster a competitive environment that produces a higher level of urban excellence. 

The CEO of the Sports Boulevard Foundation, Ms. Jayne McGivern, expressed her pride in receiving the award and acknowledged the importance of the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in the urban field. And added, “We are delighted that we have won this award, which reflects the magnitude of the project's achievement through its design and application of local identity and Salmani architecture in all its elements. I also would like to thank all our SBF design team and our design consultants, Fosters, Coen & Partners, Buro Happold for their efforts and inputs that have contributed to this success”. 

The project applies local identity and Salmani architecture across its various elements, not just in buildings, and has gained the trust of a committee of 30 local and international experts in architecture and design. 

She also mentioned that the Sports Boulevard project is designed to revolutionize urban planning in Riyadh. The project spans over 135 kilometers and includes more than 4.4 million square meters of green and open spaces, along with up to 50 multi-disciplinary sports facilities with integrated infrastructure.

In 2022, the Sports Boulevard Foundation launched the Design Code for all buildings located on Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Road. Emphasizing the importance of local identity and Salmani architecture, which embodies authenticity and modernity in design. The code is aimed at creating a modern and sustainable environment that enhances the quality of life.

The Sports Boulevard is one of Riyadh’s mega projects launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz on March 19th, 2019. Chaired by HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. The project is committed to improving the quality of life for the city’s residents and visitors by offering them integrated infrastructure and pedestrian pathways, cycling pathways, horse-riding trails, and more.