A 125,000 sq m park in the heart of city of Riyadh, which forms part of the capital city’s urban regeneration scheme, was officially opened earlier this year. Located between King Fahad Road and the courthouse in Mahkama area, the Salam Park is an artificial landscaped park built around a man-made sweet water lake, which is described as the largest public fresh water lake in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to the lake, the park comprises three other main elements: a palm grove, a hilly, grassed area for recreation, and a wildlife conservation zone.
Salam Park forms a part of a green belt of development throughout the city of Riyadh, which is part of a wider scheme to trigger urban regeneration. The client was Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), while the consultant was the local Omrania & Associates (O&A) of Riyadh in collaboration with the London-based practice Aukett.
The consultants were responsible for the masterplan, landscape concept and detail of the project, which aims at redeveloping one of Riyadh’s older quarters. They focused on the lake concept because ‘water in such vast quantities is rare in Middle Eastern cities, making the lake a unique feature of the region’.
Turnkey contractor Jabria Establishment started work on site in February 2002 and completed it in September last year.
“Salam Park has included major landscaping works featuring a large man-made lake, which takes advantage of the existing shallow high water table,” says a spokesman for O&A.  “It has also entailed the preservation of an existing palm grove as well as entertainment facilities such as picnic sites, sport fields, playgrounds, pedestrian walkways and a mosque.”
Salam Park serves as a vital open space for the city and was conceived due to its strategic location along King Fahad Road, connecting the north/south traffic across the city, and the presence of a large matured palm grove within the site, he adds.
The main areas of the park are as follows:

• Palm Grove Zone, located in the southern part of the park. It includes 1,300 palms producing different varieties of dates while providing shade to the expansive areas of grass as well as to visitors, giving them a choice in picnic spots;
• Hillside Zone, which dominates the central area of the park. The site originally comprised a flat terrain. However, hills and mounds were fashioned by layering the excavated materials from the lake, explains the spokesman;
• Lake Zone, located in the northern-central part of the park. The lake offers boating facilities with a mooring area. The 4.1-m-deep lake has a surface area of 33,000 sq m and contains 110,000 cu m of water. It acts as a reservoir for irrigating the park.

“The lake is fed by underground water which is treated at a nearby reverse osmosis plant,” explains the spokesman. “The extraction of ground water to supply the lake serves to alleviate hydrostatic pressure — caused by the high water table — on the tunnels and other substructures along the adjacent King Fahad Road. 
“A 40-m-high water jet located at the western side of the lake provides an exciting visual feature and also acts as an aerator to the water, encouraging plant and fish propagation. Special plant varieties are used that limit algal growth and repel insects.”
Ecological Zone, which located at the southwestern corner of the lake, provides natural habitats for fish, birds, plants and animals.
The project was one of the most interesting jobs handled by the firm since its inception 27 years ago, comments Hassan Al Jabri, chairman of the Riyadh-based Jabria Establishment.
Jabria joined hands with Rawabi Fayfa to undertake the landscaping and irrigation works on the SR50 million ($13.3 million) project, which had a construction period of 18 months.
The park offers facilities for passive and active recreation while retaining some of the important historical elements of the location and providing an educational tool to study the flora, fauna and the environment in central Saudi Arabia.
Al Salam Park can be accessed via two main entrances: one from Salam Road, the other one from Asir Road. In addition, there is a separate VIP entrance. The park offers car-parking slots for 365 vehicles.
The park has a circular 1-m-wide and 1-km-long promenade, which is shaded by trees. A 145-m-long steel and timber bridge continues the promenade over the lake. In addition, a small timber bridge links the main entrance and the promenade walkways.
The entire park contains 130,630 sq m of Cynadon Dactylon grass, providing an instant lawn over the rolling hills.
In addition, Rawabi Fayfa has supplied and planted 1,524 trees and 72,359 shrubs at the park to create an attractive landscape while providing pleasant areas for people to sit, relax and enjoy the surroundings.
Six football fields and eight playgrounds are interspersed throughout the park. A network of footpaths, 5 km long, links these various elements. There is a horse-riding track to the north while multi-functional paved plazas allow for various activities such as roller-skating and provide a venue for bazaars or cultural displays. Kiosks providing refreshments and food are also located throughout the park.
An existing historical mosque, which occupies a prime location at the centre of the promenade overlooking the lake, has been restored by Jabria to its original state and provided with air-conditioning.
Three open-air prayer areas with ablution facilities allow users of the park to pray within the setting.
A fine steel fence, 1.7 km long, encloses the entire park while keeping it within view of the surrounding roads. Where the park adjoins neighbouring properties, a solid wall is constructed to maintain privacy.
The facility also includes a number of small buildings for guardhouses and toilets.
“A high lux level was required for the overall lighting,” says Al Jabri, “ which has been achieved with the installation of 678 lighting poles throughout the park, with uplights highlighting important elements such as palm trees at the main entrance and on the bridges. Floodlights provide lighting for the various play and football areas.”
The promenade is illuminated by bollards, projecting light both to the walkway and the underside of the trees canopy.