SNøHETTA STUNS WITH RIYADH METRO STATION

The Qasr AlHokm metro station in Riyadh, designed by Snøhetta, brings a vast reflective canopy and a shaded underground garden to the city’s historic center. Conceived as one of four primary hubs within the new network, the station connects two major lines while functioning as an open urban plaza within walking distance of the old palace grounds and the Al Daho district.

From the plaza, a 360-degree stainless steel canopy hovers above the main entrance, its underside polished to a mirror finish. The structure operates as an urban periscope, drawing the city into its surface while casting shade across the terrazzo plane below. The gesture establishes the metro station as both infrastructure and civic ground, a place of arrival and gathering in central Riyadh.

The team at Snøhetta developed the competition-winning concept in 2012, imagining a transit space where orientation begins with reflection. "When you come off the train and look up, you see a 360-degree view of the city reflected on the underside of the canopy. So, you get an immediate picture of where you are in the city,’ Robert Greenwood, Partner and Project Lead, explains. ‘Likewise, if you’re coming from the city, you look up into the canopy, and it mirrors everything that happens below."

The canopy’s outer skin is formed from 8 millimeter double-curved stainless steel panels, fully welded and polished to achieve a continuous surface. A lightweight steel spaceframe with adjustable tie rods supports the skin, allowing the form to extend beyond a massive concrete cone that houses the vertical circulation below. On its upper surface, photovoltaic panels contribute to on-site energy production.

Below ground, the two lines traverse the atrium within glazed tubes that project into the open void. Each platform is encapsulated in glass, creating a clear visual connection between moving trains and the broader interior. For passengers waiting inside the atrium, the trains appear suspended within transparent volumes; for those passing through, the station reads as a luminous landmark embedded in the historic fabric of Riyadh.

The sloping interior walls are finished with rendered surfaces inspired by local architectural traditions, lending texture to the expansive volume carved beneath the plaza. Light filtered from above washes these surfaces, guiding movement toward escalators and transfer levels. The visual continuity between levels reinforces legibility across the large subterranean space.

At the base of the atrium, around 35 meters below city level, a garden offers a shaded retreat for travelers, with plantings and seating at the heart of the infrastructure. Even during peak summer heat, the depth of the station maintains a stable environment. Water collected from the plaza and canopy is even reused for irrigation.

The station sits beside an important Eid prayer field capable of accommodating thousands of worshippers. The terrazzo plaza extends to the edges of the site to create a unified surface shared by the metro entrance and a reconstructed mosque. This way, the space functions as an outdoor extension of the mosque during large gatherings.

Within the atrium, patterned openings inspired by Najdi motifs puncture the inner walls. Formed from hundreds of triangular carvings in varying sizes, the apertures filter light and create controlled visual connections between levels. Outside the concrete cone, a media wall stretching more than 100 meters incorporates acoustic, lighting, and video panels. Its evolving light sequences provide a measured counterpoint to the movement of trains and passengers, reinforcing orientation within the main circulation space.

QASR ALHOKM METRO STATION
LOCATION Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
ARCHITECT Snøhetta 
PHOTOGRAPHY Iwan Baan