Desert X AlUla

Text description provided by the architects. Some of the more widespread structures found everywhere around AlUla are walled date farms, usually rectangular in shape with large centrally aligned gates. With crowns of palms peaking over sand-coloured walls, we can imagine the refreshing shade within, a place where one can take a break from the arid desert around. Not far from Al-Ula lies Hegra, the first UNESCO World Heritage site in Saudi Arabia for its ancient rock-cut tombs.

The main ones are decorated with an eclectic weave of architectural styles in finely cut sandstone columns, arches and friezes: fine examples of meticulous design and stunning craftsmanship. The interior space is usually a clear carved void defined by mass of cut stone - and by a valid proponent there is an interesting traditional refectory lined with three benches for annual banquets.

The visitor center is a simple square building, carefully insulated at the entrance to Hidden Canyon to welcome visitors to the first Desert X Al Ula exhibition: it offers basic amenities such as an information center and café as well as a generously shaded courtyard and a viewing deck outside. It is a place to rest and find shelter in the open desert, while its patio offers views of the sky and gorgeous landscapes. The few sharply defined windows create different focal points above and below the valley and heighten the contrast between the local and the unbounded: an expression of our scale and relationship to nature.

The circular sunroof creates a special atmosphere - a perfect shape framing the rocks and sky. The two entrances to the courtyard view the axis extending through transparent doors to the information center and the café: opposing windows in each of these spaces give a framed view back into the desert. The moment one enters the seemingly enclosed courtyard is the moment one sees through the building – while scale and depth become enigmatic, there is an immediate spatial and functional clarity.

The Desert X AlUla Visitor Center is a modest structure, quickly designed and built using mostly local materials, drawing from two local references: a typical walled garden, expressed in symmetrical geometry and enclosed appearance, and constructive clarity, with spaces emerging carved from solid mass through processes Ask simple. The visitor center is open: landscape and art visitors will complete the experience.

The floor plan is symmetrical and non-directional with access to each of the main public spaces from the center of each side of the courtyard; Utilities such as bathrooms, staff and storage are located in the sloping corner of the courtyard. The scale of the building is rigorous and repetitive in all the dimensions of its spaces and openings: its structural grid is simple, and spaces of uniform dimensions allow the structure to be reorganized in order to change use in the future.