City Living Museum of Madinah
The City Living Museum of Madinah – designed and architected by Sunio One – transforms the entire city into an open-air, multi-sensory museum, where immersive, story-driven experiences connect history, spirituality, nature, and contemporary life across integrated hubs, sites, and visitor journeys.
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Project Summary
The City of Madinah is one of the most spiritually significant and historically rich cities in Saudi Arabia and the 2nd holiest cities in Islam.
The brief: based on the idea of a city living museum, develop a strategic experience and delivery framework that preserves cultural heritage, enhances visitor engagement, and aligns with Vision 2030 goals of tourism, quality of life, and cultural economy growth.
The Challenge
Madinah receives millions of visitors annually, but lacked a cohesive experience design and digital strategy to elevate the journey, improve mobility, and support investment. The area required:
- Heritage-sensitive yet future-facing experience design
- Smart city integration without overwhelming historical character
- Clear KPIs, ESG compliance, and delivery logic for phased rollout
Our Approach
- Led an integrated Experience + Solution Architecture process with government stakeholders
- Mapped full spiritual and visitor journey across sites, facilities, and transport layers
- Developed cultural storytelling frameworks linked to physical design
- Planned digital infrastructure (IoT, mobility, app integrations) with accessibility at the core
- Delivered a full Transformation Blueprint, including phasing, KPIs, ESG strategy, and investment logic
Results & Impact
- Blueprint adopted into city transformation program
- Positioned for investment and early-stage development in 2025
- Recognised and Awarded by Smart City Expo
“Sunio One helped us see how to bring modern experience principles into one of the world’s oldest and most sacred cities. They gave us vision—and a way to deliver on it.”
— Senior Official, Madinah Region Development Authority (MDA)
