Abstract architectural model representing the TopoArtic concept, featuring organic layered excavation and fluid void spaces carved into a solid white volume.
A visualization of 'TopoArtic', an experimental design concept by INJ Architects. This piece explores the intersection of topography and architecture, demonstrating how subtractive design and digital excavation can create complex, fluid spatial experiences within a monolithic form.

TopoArtic is a visual art initiative developed by Saudi architect and visual artist Ibrahim Nawaf Joharji, founder of INJ Architects, emerging directly from architectural practice rather than from a conventional art studio.

The project did not begin as an artistic experiment. Its origins trace back to years of working on mountain-based architectural projects, including palaces, hillside villas, and hospitality developments in the steep terrain of Makkah and western Saudi Arabia. In these projects, Joharji was repeatedly confronted with a familiar architectural problem: the act of cutting into mountains rarely translates faithfully from digital models to construction reality.

Infographic illustrating Ibrahim Joharji's critical design process: contrasting raw, non-sustainable rock-cut sites (viewed as environmental scars) with fluid architectural models that attempt to heal and refine these topographic wounds.

A visual manifesto of the 'TopoArtic' concept by INJ Architects. This infographic documents the transition from the brutal reality of rock cutting—criticized by architect Ibrahim Joharji as non-sustainable damage to the terrain—to his artistic interpretation. The imagery highlights how the architect treats these excavation lines as 'scars,' using fluid geometry to soften the impact and create a dialogue between the wounded landscape and the built environment.

During site work, large portions of rock were removed based on topographic modeling. While these cuts were driven by engineering and planning constraints, the exposed geological sections revealed layered formations that were visually striking yet entirely absent from architectural drawings. Plans and sections flattened them. Elevations ignored them. What remained on site, however, was a complex physical record of subtraction.

A conceptual diagram by Architect Ibrahim Joharji illustrating the 'TopoArtic' methodology, showing layered contours and color gradation to represent depth and architectural excavation.

This graphic visualizes Ibrahim Joharji's distinct approach to architectural topography, coined as 'TopoArtic'. It dissects the relationship between landform and void through a study of organic contours and strategic color gradation. The transition of hues represents the depth of excavation, showcasing how the architect sculpts space out of the terrain to create a cohesive visual language.

This gap between model and reality became the foundation of TopoArtic.

Rather than treating topography as a background condition, Joharji began isolating contour data generated during mountain modeling. Using different grid resolutions, ranging from one to five meters, he experimented with cutting, slicing, and recomposing these contours digitally. The process mirrored excavation itself: forms were not added but removed, layer by layer.

Through this method, contour lines ceased to function as technical indicators. They became visual matter.

In TopoArtic, these extracted layers are reorganized, colored, and stacked, forming abstract compositions that resemble fingerprints or organic imprints rather than maps. Each work reflects a specific act of cutting. The spaces between lines vary. Compression and release occur naturally. What emerges is not a representation of a mountain, but a visual record of intervention.

A creative collage of architectural project snippets by INJ Architects, featuring a variety of 3D models, facade textures, and modern building concepts arranged side-by-side
An artistic assemblage of key design moments from the INJ Architects archive. This collage features side-by-side snippets of various projects, illustrating the firm's journey through different scales, textures, and geometric explorations, serving as a visual summary of our creative versatility.

The act of cutting is central to the work.

TopoArtic does not romanticize landscape. It acknowledges the violence of excavation while transforming its byproducts into a visual language. The artwork is generated from the same logic used to shape architecture in mountainous terrain: subtraction, tolerance, and adaptation to resistance.

Unlike topographic artworks derived purely from satellite imagery or data visualization, TopoArtic is grounded in lived architectural experience. It originates from construction constraints, failed translations, and the material consequences of design decisions on site.

Joharji describes the project as a way of revealing what architecture normally hides. Where buildings conceal their scars behind finishes and facades, TopoArtic isolates those scars and allows them to exist independently as visual compositions.

The initiative positions itself between architecture and art, documentation and invention. The data is real. The cuts existed. But their transformation into art is a deliberate reinterpretation rather than representation.

More details about the project and its development can be found at INJ Architects Art Page

TopoArtic suggests that architecture continuously generates visual systems beyond buildings themselves. Embedded within technical processes, often overlooked, are artistic languages shaped by gravity, machinery, and terrain. The work does not seek to decorate architecture, but to expose its hidden geometries.