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Helen Betts | all galleries >> Saudi Arabia: Life in the Desert >> Riyadh Architecture >> Riyadh's KAFD > Highway view
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21-NOV-2015

Highway view

The King Abdullah Financial District is one gigantic construction site right now, and the public isn’t allowed anywhere on to it, so I have tried photographing it from various perspectives, but there is inevitably some obstacle in the way, or it’s too far away, or it has to be a drive-by shot and terribly distorted. I think when it’s finished it will be spectacular with all these innovative buildings plus a metro station designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid that promises to be quite amazing http://www.dezeen.com/2013/05/16/king-abdullah-financial-district-metro-station-by-zaha-hadid-architects/ I wish we were going to be here when the project is completed, but that probably won’t be until around 2017, and for sure they won’t let us back in as tourists just to see it!

The KAFD will consist of 59 towers in an area of 1.6 million square meters for multiple uses. It is considered to be a "window to modernity" in the kingdom since there will be no separation of the sexes in the complex, unlike everywhere else and especially in ultra conservative Riyadh. A very interesting article that discusses this project and others is here http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/arts/design/13desert.html?adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1368285519-dDLdOrrJq0dBnkPfnS4Qjw&_r=0

A picture I took from the road before I started photographing the financial district in earnest.

Complementary, posted earlier:

Nikon D810 ,Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
1/320s f/8.0 at 70.0mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Stephanie22-Jan-2016 19:39
Love the unusually shaped building! Great skyline capture Helen! V
Milan Vogrin22-Jan-2016 18:40
Nice pov!
joseantonio22-Jan-2016 17:30
don´t know if there are earthquakes around the country but this seems to be prepared to them.V
bill friedlander22-Jan-2016 16:50
A treat to see so many variations in architectural shapes all in the same area. Simply breathtaking. V
Ton, Ben & Rob Nagtegaal22-Jan-2016 15:36
This is fantastic Helen, so many different buildings, great work. V
larose forest photos22-Jan-2016 13:58
The buildings are amazing, truly. As I've said before, I dislike highrises and I dislike modern buildings, but I have to say that these are remarkable and fascinating. V