Venice, (SONNA) – The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has officially opened the “Deep Surfaces: Architecture to Enhance the Visitor Experience at UNESCO Sites” exhibition at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale.
Hosted at the historic Palazzo Zorzi in Venice—UNESCO’s regional office in Italy—the exhibition runs through 23 November 2025 and highlights the role of innovative, multifunctional architectural design in elevating the visitor experience at heritage sites around the world.
The exhibition features more than 50 architectural interventions from UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Geoparks. These include newly constructed visitor centers, adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, small-scale interventions, and projects currently under development.
Developed in collaboration with UNESCO sites, the exhibition explores how thoughtful architectural approaches can contribute to heritage conservation, strengthen connections between people and place, and create inclusive, accessible, and sustainable visitor experiences.
As part of the exhibition, visitors will encounter a special feature on Hegra, the ancient Nabataean city in AlUla and Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. The installation showcases RCU’s interpretive strategies and public engagement efforts to protect and activate this iconic site, developed as part of a broader partnership with UNESCO to establish global best practices in heritage stewardship.
Complementing the exhibition is an immersive installation titled “The Cloud”—a modular, three-dimensional structure that represents the depth of exploration and discovery, organized into four thematic pillars: interpretation, site management, accessibility and sustainability, and community engagement.
The exhibition reflects RCU’s vision to position AlUla as a global destination where heritage, culture, and design intersect to inspire new models of sustainable development and cultural preservation.
