The 60 meters high ‘Breakwater Beacon’ tower was designed by Daniel Tobin, Matthew Tobin and Jamie Perrow, of Urban Art Projects (UAP) design studio, in collaboration with architecture office Bureau^Proberts. The tower is intended to be a landmark of the new King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) master plan.
photography by © Urban Art Projects
Its elliptical-spire geometry works as a lighthouse watching over the Jeddah’s Safaa Harbor, on the Red Sea coast. The organic hexagonal pattern reminds both of the arabesques and of the marine gulf life. Inspired by traditional Arabic architecture, it also functions as a cooling tower encompassing a public amphitheater and a reflection pond at its base.
photography by © Urban Art Projects
The see-through structure seems light. However, its 187 individually cast hexagonal blocks weigh up to 18 tons each. For the construction process, the tower was divided into 3 sections measuring from 30/25 meters at the base, to 3.0/2.5 meters at the top – world’s largest cranes were used to put them in place.
Deeply rooted in the local building tradition and cultural heritage, this project is a true landmark not just for KAUST, but for Jeddah and Saudi Arabia as well.
By: Ana Cosma
Ana Cosma is an editor at Arch2O with a deep-rooted passion for architecture and urban design. Drawing on nearly a decade of architectural experience across prominent firms in Stuttgart, Germany—including Exyte, BWK.Architekten, and SCD Architekten—Ana brings a practiced eye and international perspective to her editorial work. Her academic foundation in Architecture and Urbanism from Politehnica University of Timișoara, complemented by a study period at Sapienza Università di Roma, informs her nuanced approach to exploring contemporary urban challenges and design innovations. At Arch2O, Ana curates and contributes insightful articles that bridge professional practice with emerging trends in urbanism and architectural theory.