King Salman Park will be the largest urban park in the world. Therefore, it requires an equally ambitious program and built edifice that reflects the massive scale of its endeavor. Our proposal for a vertical garden tower matches this incredibly bold objective. The intention is to “grow” the world’s largest living building as the veritable crown of the park. It is not simply constructing a tall building but rather manifesting an icon out of the complex local ecosystem.

We have successfully shaped the tower with robust indigenous woody plant species that have existed for millions of years in Saudi Arabia. All of the living natural elements that encompass this structure are local, native, and invoke a true sense of place. We think this is the true heart of the Salmani style, as it embodies the actual substances of life that have evolved and adapted to this specific region over the centuries. It is a style that is not imposed from outsiders, but rather born from within the very nature of Riyadh itself. This tower will be unparalleled as it is the first real alive building at this size and scale. Moreover, it is almost impossible to replicate as it is unique to this particular territory and is constituted of the surrounding native flora.

Along with growing a living tower, we have strived to enhance the surrounding biodiversity. The tower will be a beacon to near-extinct and threatened species of many birds and plant life. The primary goal is to stop losing vulnerable avian life to pollution, habitat degradation, and overdevelopment. Instead, we have designed a living tower that increases biodiversity and deliberately attracts rare species of birds to its fertile exterior surfaces. This tower thrives with bountiful life on all of its many intricate faces and edges. It is a haven for all forms of life and is meant to be collectively experienced at the most visceral of levels.

Credits: Terreform ONE, Mitchell Joachim, Vivian Kuan, Dickson Despommier, Lisa Wood Richardson, Nina Anker, Melanie Fessel, Susannah C. Drake, Sky Achitoff, Larissa Belcic, Michelle Shofet, Benjamin Gillis, Mamoun Nukumanu, Kristina Goncharov, Zack Saunders, Robin Alexander Stiefel, Moon Mengqi He.