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In the central city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is one of the most ambitious urban regeneration projects in the world: the Sports Boulevard, a large, linear park that aims to reclaim underused land.
The project was launched in 2019 as part of the country’s Vision 2030. This project, “The Art Tower,” reuses an abandoned high-voltage transmission tower that now anchors a walking path linking disparate neighborhoods once divided by the power lines. The artistic tower was conceptualized as a “Machine of Wonder,” enveloped in an ethereal skin of colored ETFE, drawing attention both day and night with shifting light and color.
Inspiration for the colorful tower was led by Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem, who envisioned the tower “not just of steel and cables, but of memory, imagination and the light of Riyadh.” The colors are supplied by more than 690 pieces of single-layer ETFE tensile membrane panels, rising vertically up to 83 meters (272 feet).
Engineered to withstand extreme wind loads, the Art Tower is believed to be the world’s tallest ETFE membrane installation. Fabrication of the ETFE units was by Shanghai Taiyo Kogyo Corp. and installed by Taiyo Middle East, which says the “interplay of transparency, color and movement creates a constantly changing visual experience that draws residents and visitors to a unique space of contemplation and curiosity.”
The project won an Award of Excellence in the 2025 IAAs in the category of Fabric Art.
Project data
Architect: Eldorado Architects, Coen + Partners, TYPSA
Engineering: Almabani General Contractors Co.
Fabrication: Shanghai Taiyo Kogyo Corp.
Fabric: Fluon ETFE 250 HJ by AGC Inc.
Project management/installation: Taiyo Middle East LLC
Fabric: Colored ETFE by Nowofol GmbH