The King Abdulazziz University Endowment Project will provide the funding to propel the university into its next generation of research and innovation. 76 hectares on the perimeter of the campus have been allocated to market-driven development. The first phase of development is located on a 19 hectare site where an average gross FAR of 2.3 will produce a 436,000 square meter Health Sciences District that is anchored by an existing teaching hospital.

The development will be funded by individual investors who select from the recommended mixed use development program that includes Medical facilities, R&D, Offices, a Hotel, Apartments (some serviced), Retail and other Amenities. The challenge is therefore to develop a Master Plan that can combine a distinctive architectural character and sense of place with the flexibility to also accommodate individual investor preferences.

The design strategy therefore combines an efficient and flexible grid-based Master Plan - comprised of blocks that can be developed with any of the programmed uses - with a set of Design Guidelines that define the desired design features and standards, and set the required levels of compliance. The design vision is to encourage diverse and vibrant architecture that is contemporary, in keeping with the program mission, but also timeless in its recall of the narrow streets and firm building edges of Old Jeddah. This approach will ensure that when all 76 hectares are developed, the Endowment Project will achieve a coherent and unmistakable identity that compliments and elevates that of KAU.