Landscape Middle East Awards 2025

Gillespies has been awarded first runner-up in the Future Landscapes: Vision in Progress (Unbuilt) category at the Landscape Middle East Awards 2025 for our concept masterplan for Jabal Thabeer Park in Makkah, designed for Kidana. The ceremony took place in Abu Dhabi and was attended by Partner Michael De Wet and representatives from Kidana.

Organised in collaboration with IFLA Middle East and the Saudi Society of Landscape Architecture and this year's partners, the World Green Infrastructure Network (WGIN) and the Oman Society of Landscape Architects (OSLA),the Landscape Middle East Awards is one of the region’s leading celebrations of design excellence in landscape architecture.

Our vision for Jabal Thabeer transforms Mount Thabeer into a sanctuary where sacred tradition and contemporary needs meet. The masterplan introduces spaces for reflection, prayer and rest that honour the rituals of Hajj and Umrah while supporting the wellbeing of future generations. Located on a 250,000 sqm site beside the Jamarat Bridge and Mina Tent City, the project responds to overcrowding, limited rest areas and complex terrain by reimagining more than half the site as terraces, gardens, shaded retreats and structured movement routes.

This recognition reflects our team’s commitment to design quality and our dedication to shaping meaningful, resilient landscapes across the Middle East.

A huge congratulations to our client Kidana and the team of consultants PUD, Systematica and Studio 4215