Design team led by Pritzker Architectural prize winner, Dame Zaha Hadid, publishes design renders of prestigious transport project in centre of Riyadh.
Zaha Hadid Architects have made available architectural renders of the new King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) Metro Station which is scheduled to open in 2017.
A key interchange on Line 1 of the Kingdom's ambitious, 175 Kilometre, six-line monorail system, the station will also serve as terminus for two other lines (including Line 4 which is a dedicated rail link for passengers travelling to and from King Khalid International Airport located 35 Kilometres north of the city).
The station will occupy an area of 20,434 square metres (219.95 squre feet) and minimise its architectural footprint by positioning platforms on different floors of a multi-storey design.
The renders reveal the inclusion of a skybridge in the stations's design to facilitate pedestrian access.
Indeed, the design team led by Dame Hadid and Patrik Schumacher - a Stirling Prize winning architect whose other projects include the MAXXI Centre of Contemporary Art and Architecture in Rome and Kartal Pendik in Istanbul, stated in its initial design briefing that the project was to showcase intermodal transportation integration within the setting of a modern, urban environment ("intermodalism" is a term that is used to describe the transportation of people and goods using different forms of transport), and FM Magazine is not surprised to learn that two entire floors of the building have been set aside for car parking.
Explaining the dramatic, cruise ship-like form of the building, the design team states: "The project extends beyond the simple station typology to emphasize the building's importance as a dynamic, multi-functional public space; not only an intermediate place perceived through quick transitions, but also a dramatic public space for the city".
The architects also reveal the structure's exterior façade has been designed to reduce solar gain whilst incorporating local design motifs: including patterning and textures which echo those frequently found on wind-swept sand dunes.
In August 2012, it was announced that four international consortia had won the pre-qualification contest for the construction of the rail line.
The winning consortia were:
- Vinci Construction, Siemens and AECOM with Saudi firms, Almabani General Contractors and Consolidated Contractors Co.
- Bombardier, Yapi Merkezi Insaat, OHL, GS Engineering & Construction, Serco, Mott Macdonald and Parsons Brinckerhoff Arabia, with Saudi firms, Al Rajhi Holding Group, Al Arrab Contracting Co, Shibh Al Jazira Contracting and Freyssinet Saudi Arabia.
- FCC Construcción, Alstom, Samsung C&T, Alpine, Strukton Civiel Projecten, SETEC and TYPSA
- Strabag, Ansaldo STS, AnsaldoBreda, Stadler Bussnang, Besix, Larsen & Toubro, Hyder Consulting, Worley Parsons, IDOM, with Saudi firm, MASCO.
