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TED GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS

Soo Y.
Yoo

The TED Global Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
is dedicated to making great ideas accessible, sparking
conversation and helping propagate solutions to address
women’s rights issues in Saudi Arabia and globally.
Housed in a bank building near the financial district and
the Old City of Jeddah, the spaces are accessible to TED
employees as well as the wider community. The first floor
is open to the public as a shared workplace and meeting
rooms. The upper floors are for staff, with a women’s coun-
seling office, executive offices and video editing suites.
The material and form are inspired by the Saudi women’s
all-enveloping black attire that is considered a mark of
oppression. However, reinventing it as a crucial element
in the interior design celebrates the pride of Saudi women
and their freedom to cherish cultural and religious beliefs,
while rethinking the relationship between “the body” (or
“the skin”) and “clothing.”
The spiral wrapping design referencing the act of women
putting on their cloak is a key spatial strategy through-
out the building. The repeated interconnected shape is
derived from the patterns of mesh that are used to create
the garments. Curtains and glass panels make it easy to
divide the spaces.

Degree: Rhode Island School for Design, BFA Painting.
willowsoodesign@gmail.com

Faculty: Tina Manis and Sean Arrasmith

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