Riyadh Metro Station
Sustainable Urbanism
2012–
Introduction
The Qasr Al Hokm Downtown Metro Station will become an icon for the renaissance of the city of Riyadh. Building upon the principles of sustainability, the station highlights a new consciousness of this generation, to build a future that recognizes the value of natural resources and its important role in urban regeneration, based upon the principals of sustainable urbanism.
The Downtown Metro station is designed as an urban plaza with a large canopy providing shade to the surrounding public spaces and channeling daylight down into train station below ground. The polished stainless steel canopy functions as a landmark signaling the station's entrance.
The Metro Station's design is sustainable on multiple levels – environmentally sustainable in providing energy, water conservation, daylight harvesting, natural shading and ventilation; economically sustainable in providing an efficient public transport hub in a densely populated city to reduce traffic congestion, and above all socially sustainable, providing a vibrant public space for all the citizens of Riyadh to enjoy.
Technical details
Ar-Riyadh Development Authority (ADA)
Through the reflective canopy, the levels of the metro are visually linked, like a periscope, reflecting the outside inwards and the inside outward. The canopy rests on a large inclined wall, defining an exterior void which carries indirect light down, whilst acting as a unifying element and reference space in the building. The two metro lines span through this void space in glazed tubes, giving them a strong presence, clarity and sense of wayfinding.