Abdulaziz Almutairi

Saudi architect designing climate-resilient buildings using ancient Bedouin techniques

Abdulaziz Almutairi is a visionary architect from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, whose firm Wadi Architecture is redefining sustainable building practices in extreme climates. Since establishing his practice in 2019, he has pioneered the integration of traditional Bedouin architectural principles with modern engineering, creating buildings that reduce energy consumption by 40% while maintaining cultural authenticity.

His signature project, the 2022 Al-Ula Cultural Center, uses wind tower technology from 19th-century desert forts combined with solar panels and phase-change materials. This design maintains interior temperatures at 25°C without air conditioning in a region where summer temperatures exceed 50°C. The project won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2023 and inspired similar designs in UAE's Al Ain and Oman's Muscat.

Abdulaziz's research on thermal mass materials derived from local stone and gypsum has been adopted by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). His 2024 collaboration with UNESCO produced the Desert Heritage Toolkit, a guidebook for climate-smart restoration of historical sites. He currently advises the Saudi Green Initiative on urban cooling strategies, advocating for pedestrian-friendly cities modeled after traditional oases.