The next time your train spends five minutes stuck inside a filthy, rat-infested Tube tunnel, or you find yourself unable to squeeze onto yet another delayed train from a cramped, non-descript station, it’s probably best not to think of Riyadh.
Best known in Britain for her design of the Olympics Aquatic Centre, Hadid has again envisaged a curved structure, with the station’s undulating form supposedly referencing Saudi Arabia’s desert sand dunes. Measuring 20,434 square meters in size, the huge space will feature four public floors as well as two levels of underground parking and is intended to function as a gathering place as well as an interchange. A number of gangways and route within the structure will be incorporated to alleviate congestion and the station will also be connected to the Riyadh monorail via a skybridge. The latticed façade of the building allows light to enter the structure while providing a degree of protection against the glare of the sun.
The London-based designer, who is half-Iraqi, was the brains behind developments in the Capital’s Hoxton Square and Eaton Place, as well as international projects in cities including New York, Singapore and Dubai.
Post By João Matias
