ZHA's first project to be awarded LEED Platinum certification by the US Green Building Council, the centre is designed in response to the environment of the Riyadh Plateau to minimise energy consumption. Hexagonal prismatic honeycomb structures use the least material to create a lattice of cells within a given volume. This principle determined KAPSARC's composition as an amalgamation of crystalline forms that emerges from the desert landscape, evolving to best respond to the environment. Presenting a solid, protecting shell to the harsh sunlight from the south, the campus opens to north and west; encouraging prevailing winds to cool the campus during temperate months via a series of sheltered courtyards that bring softly-controlled daylight into the interior.

Orientated for the sun and wind conditions, the crystalline forms of the prismatic cells gain in height towards the south, west, and east to shield internal spaces from direct sunlight. Wind-catchers integrated within the roof profiles catch the prevailing winds from the north, cooling each courtyard. KAPSARC has been named Saudi Arabia's smartest building in the Honeywell Smart Building Awards programme, based on criteria that include environmental sustainability, safety and productivity.