The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Financial District, which achieved LEED for Neighborhood Development Stage 2 Platinum certification in 2020, is one of  USGBC’s 2021 regional leadership award winners! While it’s still being developed, the neighborhood will eventually include office space, housing, and retail, along with the Capital Market Authority, Saudi Stock Exchange, and financial institutions.  

With higher summer temperatures and frequent sandstorms, the climate of the Saudi capital is not always conducive to a dynamic public life. To address these challenges, the district will become the world’s largest green urban development project, and the world’s first LEED-certified urban district. 

One of the major challenges in the design of King Abdullah Financial District has been to create a cool, comfortable urban environment for the community. In the search for the optimal microclimate, the project team sought inspiration in Riyadh’s historical quarter, which was developed in line with traditional Arabian building methods. Here, streets support the natural ventilation and cooling of the city because they are oriented according to the prevailing winds.