For centuries, the greenhouse has remained one of the most enduring yet overlooked building typologies. Today, Andre Kikoski Architecture (AKA) is working to change that. NEOM – the regenerative region located in Saudi Arabia – spans 10,200 square miles on the northern tip of the Red Sea and contains multiple districts, including tourist destinations, a floating industrial complex, and a purpose-built city, all powered by renewable energy sources. In collaboration with Topian, the NEOM Food Company, AKA has designed NEOM’s first operational asset: the cutting-edge Oxagon Agricultural Complex.
At WSBE26, Andre Kikoski AIA, LEED AP, Founding Principal at AKA, will present a new approach that positions the greenhouse as vital civic infrastructure in the age of food insecurity and global climate change.
The Oxagon Agricultural Complex serves as a proof-of-concept for food security, self-sufficiency, and regeneration in arid regions, which are expected to be among those most affected by rising global temperatures. The 800,000-square-foot facility, though not fully completed, is already operational and producing nearly 2,000 tons of fresh fruit and vegetables annually. Program elements reflect a net-zero design ethos: seawater-based cooling, AI-driven crop management, and passive-energy systems achieve up to 93% water savings compared to traditional agriculture – and 50% compared to other hydroponic systems.
The project is rooted in the principle of self-sufficiency and offers a replicable model for climate-resilient food infrastructure worldwide. At the same time, it gestures toward regeneration through design strategies that restore ecological systems and enrich civic life. Its form draws from vernacular architectural motifs and is grounded by plantings of indigenous grasses to restore balance in both the civic and natural landscapes.
In this presentation, Kikoski will explore how urban strategies, design innovation, and responsive thinking combine to create scalable, context-sensitive infrastructure for climate-vulnerable regions around the world.