Ministry of Interior building explained

Ministry of Interior building
Native Name:	مبنى وزارة الداخلية
Native Name Lang:	ar
Alternate Names:	Spaceship Flying Saucer
Location:	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Coordinates:	24.6706°N 46.6958°W
Start Date:	1980
Stop Date:	1989
Completion Date:	1992
Floor Count:	6
Current Tenants:	Ministry of Interior
Height:	55m (180feet)
Architecture Firm:	Archisystems International
Main Contractor:	Hyundai E&C

The Ministry of Interior building is a 55-meter high six-story government building in the al-Olaya district of Riyadh that houses the main headquarters of the Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia.^[1] The building is a popular landmark in the city^{[2] [3]} and is known for its inverted truncated square pyramid design surmounted by a dome,^[4] earning it nicknames like the Flying Saucer and the Spaceship by Western visitors.^{[5] [6] [7]} Designed by Archisystems and architects Musalli, Shakir and Mandill,^[8] it was constructed between 1980 and 1989 by Hyundai E&C.^{[9] [10]}

Overview

The exterior design of the building was completed in 1980 by a Canada-based firm.^[11] It was commissioned when Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz was the country's interior minister.

In the May 1987 edition of the Gulf Construction magazine, it documented the progress of construction of the building. The magazine described the building under-construction in its "unclad skeletal state." Steelwork erection work started in December 1985.^[12] Major construction works were completed by 1989, and the ministry completely shifted its offices to the precincts in 1992.

The interior of the dome surmounted over the inverted truncated square-shaped pyramid was manufactured by Zahner in the period 1988–1990.^[13]

The building annually gets illuminated in green color, the color of the country's national flag, during the celebrations of public holidays like Saudi National Day and Saudi Founding Day.^{[14] [15] [16]}

Notes and References

1. Book: Engineering . Canadian Society for Civil . Innovative Large Span Structures: IASS-CSCE International Conference 1992 : Concept, Design, Construction . Structures . International Association for Shell and Spatial . 1992 . Canadian Society for Civil Engineering . 978-0-921303-39-8 . en.
2. Web site: واس . 2023-09-23 . أحد أبرز مباني العاصمة.. "مبنى الداخلية" يكتسي الأخضر ابتهاجاً باليوم الوطني . 2024-03-22 . صحيفة سبق الالكترونية . ar.
3. Book: منطقة الرياض: دراسة تاريخية وجغرافية واجتماعية . 1999 . المملكة العربية السعودية، وزارة الداخلية، إمارة منطقة الرياض، . 978-9960-660-45-5 . ar.
4. Book: ʻĀlam al-bināʾ . 1991 . Jamʻīyat Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-Takhṭīṭ wa-al-Miʻmārī . ar.
5. Web site: 2019-12-05 . Revisiting Riyadh in Saudi Arabia - PENDOWN . 2024-03-22 . en-GB.
6. Web site: Future Imperfect . 2024-03-22 . Ibraaz.
7. Web site: NEW DIVES IN AIN HIT . 2024-03-22 . saudicaves.com.
8. Web site: Riyadh Architecture in One Hundred Years . 2024-03-22 . Center for the Study of the Built Environment . en-US.
9. Web site: Hyundai E&C marks its 74th anniversary: 1947 vs. 2021 > SPECIAL REPORT > News Room > Hyundai E&C . 2024-03-22 . en.hdec.kr . en.
10. Web site: مبنى وزارة الداخلية أثناء مراحل تشييده..فيديو . 2024-03-22 . صحيفة صدى الالكترونية . ar.
11. Book: محمد, ‫حسن، نوبي بن . الإلهام المعماري . KSUP . ar.
12. Web site: 2023-04-16 . شاهد.. فيديو نادر لمرحلة بناء مقر وزارة الداخلية بالرياض.. والكشف عن اسم الشركة المنفذة . 2024-03-22 . صحيفة المرصد . ar.
13. Web site: cmorris . 2017-01-04 . Ministry of Interior Zahner — Innovation and Collaboration to Achieve the Incredible . 2024-03-22 . en-US.
14. Web site: واس . 2024-02-22 . مباني "الداخلية" وقطاعاتها الأمنية تكتسي بالأخضر احتفاءً بيوم التأسيس . 2024-03-22 . صحيفة سبق الالكترونية . ar.
15. Web site: 26 September 2020 . "الداخلية" بقطاعاتها كافة تحتفي باليوم الوطني . 22 March 2024 . www.alriyadh.com.
16. Web site: أبها :الوطن . 2023-09-23 . المناطق تحتفل باليوم الوطني . 2024-03-22 . Watanksa . Arabic.