“What is happening in Saudi Arabia is extraordinary, and we want to be a part of it.”｜Arab News Japan

• The architectural firm is working on ongoing megaprojects in Saudi Arabia
• Alexandre Stella and Ryuta Amae have channelled art and architecture so that their work becomes a vehicle for culture, “a very French way of practicing architecture.”

Zeina Zbibo

RIYADH: Through a longstanding relationship with Asia, “Stella Amae” blends architecture and art, spanning from Europe to Asia, through the Middle East.

Founded in 2020 by Alexandre Stella and Ryuta Amae, the architecture firm bearing the same name is a symbol of exchange between the East and the West.

“Stella Amae is composed of two distant poles drawn together by a unique vision. France and Japan, Architecture and Fine Arts, two cultures, two disciplines, distant yet complementary,” stated Alexandre Stella to Arab News in French.

Having worked as an architect in Asia for over eight years, Alexandre Stella forged connections with the continent. Back in France, his international career kept him in touch with Asian culture, working with Japanese agencies and later meeting Ryuta Amae, his future business partner.

“We started working together when I was working for Sou Fujimoto. We worked in Asia, in France, but what united us is Saudi Arabia,” affirmed Mr. Stella.

Today, the architecture firm is working on ongoing megaprojects in Saudi Arabia: leisure projects in NEOM sites, as well as resorts on Susha Island in the Red Sea region.

Stella Amae has also worked on urban sculptures such as the gates of Riyadh. “This is where the artistic specificity of our agency can bring something more to urban space. It is not just architecture; we also intervene in the field of art,” said Mr. Stella.

“For Riyadh, we envisioned a grand gate with an optical effect that gives the idea of passage and access to the city,” he added. Stella Amae focuses on large cities, but not exclusively. The agency also works on second-tier cities, villages, and natural contexts.

The project in Taif, in the Hijaz mountains in Saudi Arabia, is a beautiful example of a project for rural development and agri-tourism.

“It’s a very rich agricultural region. And we wanted tourism development to go hand in hand with ecological development and sustainable agriculture. (…) It was a kind of route where you can explore the countryside and nature while simultaneously having a new rural and economic activity with the locals. All of this is connected to Saudi history and heritage,” stated Mr. Stella.

Stella Amae has established partnerships with agencies in France and abroad, notably on neighbourhood development projects such as Diriyah II, where they are working on mixed-use neighbourhoods (residential, office, commerce), and on the mosque of Diriyah II.

“We have the feeling that something extraordinary is happening in Saudi Arabia. And naturally, as architects, we want to be part of it,” confirmed Alexandre Stella.

“Today, we are actively seeking to collaborate on projects with the new generation of Saudi architects. We are looking for this possibility of exchanges, and not just as a business prospect,” he added.

Participating in missions between France and Saudi Arabia, such as AFEX-Riyadh (French Architecture Days), strengthens this possibility of exchanges with the local decision-makers and architects.

For two decades, the expertise of the agency’s co-founders has evolved in tandem with cultural and urban challenges worldwide. Alexandre Stella and Ryuta Amae have channeled art and architecture so that their work serves as a vehicle for culture, “a very French way of practicing architecture,” explained Alexandre Stella.

“In France, buildings have often been collaborative efforts with sculptors, painters, and craftsmen. People who were in the fields of art and artisanry, and today we want to highlight this complementarity,” he added.

In terms of expertise, the duo has worked on cultural projects in Asia, particularly in China, including buildings for museums dedicated to traditional Chinese painting, buildings for residents, multifunctional theaters to animate neighborhoods, among others.

In France, they have worked on projects in line with metropolitan development policies that have marked the last twenty years in the country.

“Urban policy has driven us to create innovative buildings that change the urban relationship by mixing functions: office, housing, and sports or buildings for the younger generations,” confirmed Mr. Stella. This is evident in their work on “coliving” buildings where nature and communal spaces play a significant role.

According to Stella, the idea is to address issues related to the needs of the new generation: access to housing and the relationships that can be created in the city.

“For us, the development of the city experience is very important in our work,” he confirmed.

One of the challenges in the industry is the number of projects produced compared to those that materialize, especially as some projects do not go through due to validation processes.

Stella Amae presents innovative architectural solutions, supported by experience in managing global projects.