Expec Arc Expansion Project
- Entered by: Saudi Aramco
- Project Owner: Saudi Aramco
- Designer: Perkins+Will/DAR
- Main Contractor: Al-Rashid Trading and Contracting Company
Expec Arc is a state-of-the-art upstream research facility for Saudi Aramco. The objective of Expec Arc is to expand Saudi Aramco’s upstream research domains to maximise hydrocarbon recovery. The building is an inverted U-shape, with an admin block in the centre, linked by three bridges. Expec Arc covers an approximate area of 55,000m2 with a six-storey concrete frame. Expec Arc is composed of 307 labs, 850 offices, an electrical substation building, a maintenance building, a chemical waste area, and a pedestrian tunnel passing under a major commuter road. It includes more than 20 utility services, including giant 30-inch chilled water lines, acid and oily wastes, high purity gases, toxic and sour hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas. Labs serve various upstream engineering functions, ranging from hydrocarbon wet laboratories, ISO-7 cleanroom labs, two-storey high bay labs, and computational dry labs, which are spread across five levels. Offices with see-through glass are located opposite these various labs, enabling scientists to observe, report and act. The sixth level houses essential mechanical equipment to operate the building. Expec Arc houses top niche upstream technologies that will unlock new research domains that no one has ventured yet.
