Case Study: 'Bird in Flight', Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Anyone driving towards Saudi Arabia’s King Abdul Aziz University will find themselves greeted by a truly monumental and beautiful sight: an 11-metre high, abstract aluminium and steel sculpture of a bird in flight, with its 37m wingspan spreading proudly across the motorway and its polished metal surface glinting majestically in the Saudi sun.
Perfectly designed to encapsulate the spirit of inspiration, original thinking, imagination and serene contemplation universities are intended to evoke. Perhaps the single most remarkable thing about this spectacular and exotic work of art is the fact that its journey began at Alifabs’ factory in Woking, England!
Following a commission from the Saudi government in 1990, Alifabs was responsible for every single stage of bringing the Bird In Flight sculpture to life: design, modelling, wind tunnel testing, and manufacturing.
Alifabs even went so far as to fully trial assemble Bird In Flight at its factory before shipping it to Jeddah, despite the obvious challenges of handling a sculpture with a wingspan as big as a Boeing 757.
Nor did Alifabs' involvement with the project finish when the Bird In Flight left UK shores, for the company also oversaw its final installation at the university.
And what an installation it was. Over a 10-week period the sculpture was fixed to a reinforced 2000-tonne concrete foundation, and each wing put together using aluminium trusses braced together and clad in brushed stainless steel panels. What’s more, in a sign of the sort of attention to detail Alifabs specialises in, the whole structure was secured using hidden fixings able to accommodate the thermal movements associated with Jeddah's extreme temperatures without spoiling the sculpture's wonderfully smooth, pure finish.
The entire million pound project was completed over a 53-week period, on time and on budget, prompting a King Abdul Aziz University architect to declare that "in the university's history, this is the only contract that has been completed on programme... a fine example of British design, engineering and workmanship."
Frankly we couldn't have put it any better ourselves...
