Shuaibah Visitor Center

The Shuaibah Visitor Center project was developed for ACWA Power in the Makkah Region. Its program introduces visitors to the desalination plant through exhibition spaces, reception areas and views toward the surrounding infrastructure.

The architectural concept uses water as a reference for both form and interpretation. Five rising volumes establish the building’s silhouette and are associated in the design narrative with stages of the water cycle.

Location: Shuaibah, Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia
Client: ACWA Power
Type: Visitor Center, Museum
Site Area: 1,400 m²
Status: Completed
Year: 2024
Principal: Ibrahim Nawaf Joharji
Scope: Architecture, Exhibition Design, Visitor Experience

The water molecule informed the early geometric studies. Its representation is an architectural interpretation, while the models and drawings develop the resulting volumes into an enclosure and an exhibition setting.

Shuaibah Visitor Center: Exploded model of the center's levels and rising volumes — Exploded model of the center’s levels and rising volumes.

The approach leads beneath the rising forms into the main exhibition space. Changes in height and daylight distinguish the arrival area from the larger hall, while the curved surfaces continue the exterior language inside.

The program includes a water knowledge gallery, reception and hospitality spaces. These areas support different types of visit, from educational groups to official delegations, without making every visitor follow the same sequence.

Viewing areas connect the exhibition to the plant beyond. This relationship allows the displays and the operational setting to be read together, linking explanation within the building to the infrastructure outside it.

The design studies consider the coastal setting, shading and water reuse. The GRC enclosure and its joints form part of the architectural development shown in the detail studies.

The project brings architectural form and exhibition planning together around the subject of water. The visual record includes design models and rendered views, documenting the spatial proposal and its development.

Shuaibah Visitor Center: Exterior visualization of the center at dusk — Exterior visualization of the center at dusk.

Shuaibah Visitor Center: Exhibition hall visualization with curved surfaces and overhead light — Exhibition hall visualization with curved surfaces and overhead light.

Shuaibah Visitor Center: Interior geometry study showing the supporting forms — Interior geometry study showing the supporting forms.

Shuaibah Visitor Center: Night visualization of the entrance and rising enclosure — Night visualization of the entrance and rising enclosure.

Shuaibah Visitor Center: Detail model of the curved cladding and panel joints — Detail model of the curved cladding and panel joints.

Related project: Mushroom Whale Port.