中文简介：

本书首次深入探索了挪威建筑事务所Snøhetta设计的沙特阿拉伯阿卜杜勒阿齐兹国王世界文化中心。

位于沙特阿拉伯达兰的Ithra，又称阿卜杜勒阿齐兹国王世界文化中心，是一项空前的建筑成就。Ithra由挪威建筑事务所Snøhetta设计，规模宏大，由沙特阿美石油公司承建，于2017年底在萨勒曼·本·阿卜杜勒·阿齐兹国王亲自主持的落成仪式上揭幕，Ithra被《时代》杂志列为世界100大旅游胜地之一，并荣获2019年建筑创新奖的年度项目和**创新项目。

这个多用途的文化机构以其独特的几何雕塑在当代建筑中脱颖而出。本书通过令人惊叹的图像和案例，深入浅出地介绍了Ithra的灵感来源、竞争过程、建筑师选择以及复杂施工等方面，揭示了这一引人注目的建筑从诞生到实现背后的故事。

英文简介：

The first in-depth exploration of the award-winning King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Saudi Arabia, designed by Norwegian architects Snøhetta

Ithra, also known as the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, is an unprecedented architectural achievement. Designed on a monumental scale by the Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta, built by Saudi Aramco, and inaugurated by King Salman bin Abdulaziz in late 2017, Ithra has been listed in Time magazine as one of the world's top 100 places to visit and is the winner of Project of the Year and Best Innovative Project of the Year at the Construction Innovation Awards in 2019.

This multi-purpose cultural institution, with its unusual geometric sculptures, is one of a kind in contemporary architecture. With stunning imagery and a holographic wrap-around case, the book offers an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration for Ithra, from the competition process and selection of the architect to its complex construction and reveals the story behind this striking architectural gem, from its inception to its realization.