NOFA Equestrian Estate

2002
Saudi Arabia

Stauch Vorster - Durban, in association with Buro Happold 
Team: Ivor Daniel, Francesco Coppola, Paul Lewis

NOFA Equestrian Farm, developed in association with Buro Happold Engineers, is located in the Saudi Arabian desert as part of a larger equestrian and leisure estate commissioned by Prince Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Kabeer. The project centres on a grass racetrack supported by a grandstand accommodating both formal royal viewing requirements and large public attendance.

The key challenge was to create a high-performance sporting and hospitality environment within an extreme desert climate, where heat, glare, and sand place significant demands on spectator comfort, turf performance, and operational resilience. The facility also needed to balance ceremonial royal functions with larger-scale public viewing within a coherent spatial arrangement.

The design organises the grandstand and track as an integrated ensemble, with VIP accommodation for royalty and 100 indoor guests incorporated into the main structure, alongside capacity for approximately 2,000 outdoor spectators. Environmental moderation is achieved through deep shading, controlled enclosure, and orientation strategies that reduce exposure while maintaining clear views of the racetrack. The landscape supports both sporting function and ceremonial use, reinforcing viewing hierarchies.

The result is a climatically responsive desert equestrian facility that combines elite sporting infrastructure with formal hospitality and dignified public spectatorship.