The museum repurposes a research library originally designed by Zaha Hadid, marking one of the most significant adaptive reuse projects undertaken in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has opened the Black Gold Museum in Riyadh, a new cultural institution exploring the global impact of oil through art, architecture and storytelling, following the transformation of a landmark building at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center.
Designed by DaeWha Kang Design, the museum repurposes a research library originally designed by Zaha Hadid, marking one of the most significant adaptive reuse projects undertaken in the Kingdom.
Spanning 6,800sq m across four floors, the museum houses more than 350 artworks and installations, supported by 14 gallery spaces and museum-grade infrastructure. Only around six per cent of the structure was newly built, with the majority of the project focused on reconfiguring the existing building to accommodate a new cultural function.
At the centre of the redesign is a newly introduced atrium and spiral staircase, creating a core circulation spine that guides visitors through the space. The layout has been reworked to enable a continuous, curated journey from basement to upper floors, with increased natural light and open sightlines replacing previously enclosed areas.
The museum is structured around four thematic galleries: Encounters, Dreams, Doubts and Visions – tracing the story of oil from its discovery and industrial impact to its role in economic development, environmental debate and future energy transitions.
