King Salman Park 2026 Opening: Riyadh’s Former Airbase Becomes the World’s Largest Park

King Salman Park is taking shape on the grounds of what was once Riyadh’s main military airfield. Spanning 16.6 square kilometers near the geographic center of the Saudi capital, this project by Omrania and Henning Larsen Architects is on track for a phased King Salman Park 2026 opening, with the Art Park section welcoming visitors by late 2026 and substantial completion expected in 2027. When finished, the Riyadh park will be roughly seven times the size of London’s Hyde Park and five times that of New York’s Central Park, making it one of the largest urban park developments currently underway anywhere in the world.

The project forms part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy to position Riyadh among the world’s most livable cities. Announced in March 2019 by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, it sits alongside three other mega-initiatives (Sports Boulevard, Green Riyadh, and Riyadh Art) backed by an estimated $23 billion in government funding and $15 billion in projected private-sector investment, according to the King Salman Park Foundation.

Master Plan by Henning Larsen and Omrania

Saudi firm Omrania won an international competition to serve as lead design consultant, collaborating with Danish practice Henning Larsen Architects on master planning and urban design. Together, the architect Henning Larsen team and Omrania conceived a layout organized around branching valley corridors inspired by the Arabian Peninsula’s seasonal wadi riverbeds. These vegetated channels converge toward a central open space, structuring pedestrian circulation while creating shaded microclimates that make walking and cycling comfortable even in Riyadh’s intense desert heat.

A 7.2-kilometer circular promenade called the Innovation Loop encircles the park’s core. Designed for walking, cycling, and electric or autonomous transit, the loop connects cultural venues, sports facilities, and mixed-use zones. Five Riyadh Metro stations on the Green Line, one station on the Red Line, and ten bus rapid transit stops ensure the park functions as a transit-oriented destination accessible from across the metropolitan area.

The Henning Larsen architects’ approach emphasizes what the design teams describe as “urban spaces full of life, always responding to local climate and culture.” Radial building blocks flow toward the central green space, creating mixed-use neighborhoods that blend seamlessly with the park’s ecological corridors. Zones are organized around three programmatic themes: sports and recreation, culture and arts, and future innovation.

Ecological Restoration and Landscape Strategy

Transforming a flat, restricted airfield into a living landscape requires ambitious environmental engineering. The King Salman Park project calls for approximately one million trees planted across the site, supported by soil regeneration layers and irrigation systems fed by treated wastewater. According to Gerber Architekten, the firm leading landscape design in a joint venture with Buro Happold and Setec, the park processes roughly 150,000 cubic meters of treated wastewater daily, polished to near-drinking-water quality.

Interdisciplinary research underpins the planting strategy. The park will host over 700 plant species, a dramatic increase from the 100 to 120 species typically cultivated in Riyadh. About half are indigenous to Saudi Arabia, with many being introduced to the region’s horticultural landscape for the first time. A visitor tree nursery and forest research facility will educate the public about Saudi Arabia’s botanical heritage and support ongoing ecological monitoring.

Valley pathways cut up to 30 meters deep into the terrain, creating shaded areas with cooler microclimates and incorporating visitor facilities along their edges. Over 11 square kilometers of the total area is dedicated to green space, with more than seven square kilometers of pedestrian pathways woven throughout. These measures respond directly to Riyadh’s arid conditions and position the project as both a landscape intervention and an infrastructural undertaking.

Construction Progress and Phased Timeline

Construction contracts were first awarded in September 2021, with over $1 billion directed to a group of national contractors. Since then, work has progressed on tunnels, bridges, the production nursery, the wadi cascade feature, and extensive soil placement across the Art Park area. According to project updates, over 13 million cubic meters of soil have been excavated so far.

The development is structured in three main phases across distinct geographical segments:

King Salman Park Construction Phases

The following table outlines the three main construction phases and their scope:

The Art Park section within Phase 1 is expected to be the first area open to the public in late 2026, according to the RIBA project page. Subsequent phases will continue rolling out cultural, recreational, and mixed-use components, with overall completion extending into 2027 and beyond.

Royal Arts Complex by Bofill Taller de Arquitectura

At the cultural heart of King Salman Park sits the Royal Arts Complex (RAC), designed by the late Ricardo Bofill and his Barcelona-based studio, Bofill Taller de Arquitectura. The 320,000-square-meter complex comprises thirteen distinct structures arranged along a 1.5-kilometer central boulevard, positioned at the western edge of the Innovation Loop where urban density transitions into open parkland.

Planned cultural venues include a 2,300-seat National Theatre, a 106-meter-tall Museum of Civilizations, an art library, a cinema hall, and specialized academies for performing arts, visual arts, and music. Artist studios, mastercraft workshops, a dome-shaped exhibition venue, and a Sculpture Pavilion round out the ensemble. The design draws on Salmani architectural principles, using warm desert-toned materials that connect the buildings to their arid surroundings.

As of March 2024, the King Salman Park Foundation reported that construction of the Royal Arts Complex was 48% complete. The complex is being built by local contractor Modern Building Leaders under a contract valued at approximately $2 billion (SR 7.5 billion).

Awards, Recognition, and Design Team

The project has already attracted significant international recognition. In November 2025, King Salman Park won the Future Project category at the inaugural RIBA Middle East Awards, presented during Dubai Design Week. The RIBA jury praised the park as “a vital green intervention to the heart of Riyadh,” noting its contributions to biodiversity, air quality, and active living in alignment with Vision 2030.

The design team extends well beyond Henning Larsen and Omrania. Gerber Architekten leads landscape, master planning, and detailed design in a joint venture with Buro Happold (engineering) and Setec. Additional contributors include SWA Group and MVVA for landscape architecture, Hill International for project management, and Mobility in Chain (MIC) for transportation planning. The Visitors Pavilion was designed by David Adjaye using Salmani architectural principles, and Populous is responsible for a planned stadium intended for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

Key Project Data at a Glance

The table below summarizes the essential figures for King Salman Park:

Transit Connectivity and Urban Integration

Unlike many mega-parks that sit at the urban periphery, King Salman Park occupies a central position within Riyadh’s metropolitan fabric. The former airbase site is linked to six major roads and will be served by extensive public transit infrastructure, including five stations on the Riyadh Metro’s Green Line, one on the Red Line, and ten bus rapid transit stations.

This transit-oriented approach reflects a broader push to create a more walkable urban core. The 7.2-kilometer Innovation Loop is traffic-free, accommodating pedestrians, cyclists, and autonomous vehicles. Climate-responsive design features, including shaded corridors and thermal comfort strategies, are intended to make non-motorized travel pleasant year-round.

Mixed-use developments along the park’s edges will include residential, commercial, and hospitality components. In December 2024, hotel group Accor and Naif Alrajhi Investment announced plans to open TRIBE-branded hotels within the park. A dedicated real estate fund launched in 2023, backed by SAR 4 billion in private-sector capital, is developing over 290,000 square meters of investment property within the site.

King Salman Energy Park (SPARK): A Different Project

It is worth noting that King Salman Energy Park, commonly known as SPARK, is an entirely separate project. Located in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province between Dammam and Al-Ahsa, the King Salman Energy Park SPARK is a 50-square-kilometer industrial hub developed by Saudi Aramco. SPARK focuses on the energy sector value chain, from exploration to petrochemicals, and is expected to contribute $6 billion annually to GDP. Despite sharing the “King Salman” name, the two projects differ fundamentally in purpose, location, and scope.

What King Salman Park Means for Riyadh’s Future

King Salman Park represents more than a recreational amenity. It is a large-scale urban regeneration effort that aims to increase Riyadh’s green cover, mitigate urban heat island effects, support biodiversity in an arid climate, and create a cultural destination with global appeal. The King Salman Park Foundation, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and led by CEO George Tanasijevich (former president of Marina Bay Sands in Singapore), oversees implementation and investment management.

For architects and urban designers, the project offers valuable lessons in climate-responsive master planning, ecological restoration at urban scale, and the integration of cultural programming with landscape infrastructure. As the Art Park section prepares to welcome its first visitors in 2026, King Salman Park is poised to join the global conversation about how cities in extreme climates can build resilient, people-centered public spaces.

Project data and cost estimates referenced in this article are based on publicly available information from the King Salman Park Foundation, Omrania, and project reporting by ArchDaily and RIBA. Figures may be subject to change as construction progresses.