Every climate contains certain inescapable attributes. At the centre of the Arabian Peninsula, Riyadh’s unwavering natural fixture is the pounding sun. Led by the Riyadh Development Authority since 1976, the growth of the Qasr al-Hokm district has required a high level of expertise to compensate for this natural characteristic while carrying forward a rich cultural, political and commercial tradition.
It was with special attention to this challenge that AS&P, an architecture and urban planning firm based in Frankfurt, approached designing the Criminal Courthouse Complex currently in construction there.
“It’s not really reasonable to go for a glazed, transparent design in Riyadh,” says Dirk Kahl, AS&P’s project director for the courthouse and mixed-use building complex soon to flank the existing General Court to the north. “The sun is not your friend, so we inverted the penchant for transparency to find an answer for this climate.”
AS&P sports a team of approximately 100 specialists in structural, landscape, transport, event and urban design. Founded in the mid-1960s by Albert Speer Jr., the practice has years of experience of working in the Arabian Gulf and its workload is evenly split between domestic and international projects, from the forthcoming European Central Bank in Frankfurt to the FIFA World Cup 2022 infrastructure in Qatar.
The Criminal Courthouse Complex in Riyadh, set for completion in late 2013, is a remarkable example of the practice’s comprehensive approach to urban design. Constructed from natural slabs of Riyadhi limestone, the building’s monumental cubic structure projects the appearance of a storey-less façade sprouting directly from the earth.
Designed to emphasise the sculptural, the new building reflects the dignity of its judicial purpose along with a modern interpretation of Riyadh’s historic structures. Simplicity on the exterior is matched with a lively interior atrium, situated in a lightwell to funnel shifting intensities throughout the day. The general courtroom chambers, meanwhile, feature high-quality timber surfaces on the walls and ceilings and floors are constructed from local white Riyadh limestone.
“It was a very dense design process,” Kahl continues. “Our goal was to create that sculptural appearance while retaining flexibility and easy orientation for an office building.”
AS&P’s additions to the court district in Riyadh now promise to create a hub within reach of the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque, adeptly capturing the historic city’s traditional and modern identities in one locale.
WHAT AS & P’s Criminal Courthouse Complex
WHERE Qasr al Hokm, Riyadh
COMPLETION Set for 2013
WHY This modernist cubic structure is not only a beautiful addition to the old city but built with local limestone, appears as a logical continuation of Riyadh’s heritage.
