2024 AlMusalla Prize given to pavilion design made from local waste materials in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabian Diriyah Biennale Foundation has awarded the inaugural 2024 AlMusalla Prize to a collective that includes EAST Architecture Studio, AKT II, and the San Francisco–based artist Rayyane Tabet.

Asif Khan, Lina Ghotmeh, and seven other colleagues from around the Middle East region served as judges for the competition, whose brief asked for a collaborative team to design a Musalla prayer space equal to 1,615 square feet. 

The winning pavilion design uses waste taken from local date palm trees as the primary building material while quoting the vernacular seen in Jeddah's Al-Balad historic district.

The pavilion is set to be built in the Western Hajj Terminal at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah as part of next year's Islamic Arts Biennale, which begins on January 25th, 2025. 

In case you missed it, AKT II's founder, Hanif Kara, was also named the 2024 Soane Medal winner yesterday in London.