King Khalid International Airport

The King Khalid International Airport {{airport codes|RUH|OERK}} (Arabic: ???? ????? ???? ?????? or Matar el malik khalid ad dowali) is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.It was the largest airport in the world by ground area (225 km) until King Fahd International Airport was completed in 1999, becoming the largest airport in the world. This area houses all the airport main facilities and installations including the terminals, mosque, the control tower and two parallel runways each 4200 meters long. It is the gateway to the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its heartland, is the national air transport center. It has been constructed to meet the increasing international and local air transport requirements for Riyadh region.

Landscaping

In addition to being an architectural masterpiece, KKIA ? with its more than 50 hectares of

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landscaping ? greenery is the Kingdom?s green oasis. Over 225,000 trees, vines, shrubs and

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ground cover plants were used to landscape the airport site and the interior courtyards.

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Amazingly, almost all of these plants came from the airport?s own nursery.

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Following a comprehensive plan, the airport landscaping program was designed to physically

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enhance the site and provide human comfort and visual interest in the environment.

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Each major facility has landscape elements which are appropriate to its physical structure.

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For instance, inside the airport terminals, the traveler is greeted with a display of

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water, flowers and trees designed for close-range viewing by pedestrians. Outside the

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terminals, the landscape design relies heavily on large trees appropriate for viewing from

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the air or from moving automobiles.

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Another factor that weighed heavily in the landscape design was the limited availability of

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irrigation water. Most of the water used for irrigation is treated effluent from the sewage

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treatment plant. An automatic underground water emitter system is used throughout the site

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in order to allow slow slippage through the root zone while minimizing evaporation.

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All of the plants selected for the site are tolerant of heat, wind and dry soil conditions.

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Wherever possible, plants with a history of successful growth in the Riyadh area or similar

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environments were selected.

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Further, the irrigation includes an injection feature whereby fertilizers and nutrients are

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added to the soil from time to time as the trees, shrubs and ground corner plants are being

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watered. Through the use of this sophisticated ?drip emitter? system every trees, shrub and

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vine on the airport with the exception of a few tub planters ? is watered by underground

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drip lines.

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The airport gardens and landscaped plots do much more than just beautify the area. They

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help stabilize the soil, cut down the effects of strong wind and provide a natural site

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screening and refreshing gateway to the Kingdom?s capital, Riyadh.

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The date palm, symbolic of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was selected to define the mosque

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area and the central portion of the terminal complex ? the key public areas of the airport.

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Fins trees, native to the Middle East are used to line the approach road to the Royal

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Pavilion and the ceremonial mall. Citrus trees, which also have historic significance as a

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tree of ancient Middle East gardens, are used in groves flanking the ceremonial mall. The

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fan palm is also used along the airport approach roads and in the community facilities.

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Certainly, the most spectacular floral array is found in the passenger terminals where

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large interior gardens featuring flowing plants and fountains for the aesthetic focal point

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of each terminal. There are extensive flower cover in the geometric shapes that

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characterize Islamic art, the shapes are repeated in the fountains and water displays.

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Terraced groups of trees and low trailing vines combine to provide a stunning visual impact

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for the arriving passengers ? or for departing passengers, who can look down on the display

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from the upper level of each terminal.

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