Dubai’s Verform & Cairo’s Vanilla Studio Unveil New Hail City Plan

Urbanism is surely entering a provocative phase in the MENA region, and more specifically in Saudi Arabia. Whereas its ‘giga-projects’ are drawing eyeballs with its line-shaped cities and cube-shaped cities and so on, there are countless master plans popping up throughout the kingdom that reimagine its urban spaces.

This includes Hail, a city that sits right in the middle of the Arabian peninsula and has a milder climate than other Saudi cities due to its higher altitude. Verform, an award-winning boutique design studio that has offices in Dubai, Cairo and Alicante, envisioned a contemporary ‘Hail City’ that is informed by its context as a centre of agriculture within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Rendered into virtual life by award-winning Cairo-based visualisation studio, Vanilla Studio, ‘Hail City’ features everything from vertical forests and rotating pavilions that lead to sculptural architecture to meandering pedestrian paths that ensure the city is as integrated as it’s innovative.

“This is a significant urban development endeavour that aims to create a vibrant and integrated urban community,” Ahmed Fouad, CEO of Vanilla Studio tells SceneHome. With this context in mind, the studio provided 3D renders and an immersive three-minute animation that brings the vision and essence of the new city to life.

The highly detailed and compelling renderings showcase the design and project aesthetics with utmost realism. “They effectively communicate the architectural vision and allow stakeholders to visualise the project in its intended form,” Fouad adds.

Founded by Egyptian architect Moaz Abouzaid and Emirati entrepreneur Dima Faraj, Verform’s work focuses on context, both physically and socially, which has won it international awards and allowed it to be ranked among the Middle East’s most influential architectural practices.

Verform’s approach values social integrity above all, be it reimagined post offices that advocate for adaptive re-use throughout Egypt or a futuristic master plan in line with Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision. Looking through the proposed plan, there’s a clear embrace of the local urban fabric which is woven into a new development rather than appearing as an imposing language of architecture.

As an agricultural city, Hail is home to a significant portion of the kingdom’s grain, date and fruit production. Hence, it comes as no surprise that the design puts emphasis on greenery, whether it’s trees on rooftops or running throughout boulevards.

The urban project was divided to ensure effective mobility, sustainability and comfort. Services are taken into account in strategic and easy-to-access locations that ensure integration. This inter-connected living environment is geared towards leaving a positive impact on the city, including its heritage. Hail is ripe with yet to be explored heritage hubs, from the Barzan Palace which was built in 1808 to the souk that neighbours it.

The proposed urban development is partly underway, namely the rotating public pavilion and the main paper-like building which will bolster the city’s cultural attractions, while the rest is yet to be confirmed.

Architecture Visualisation: Vanilla Studio