Desert X AlUla Visitor Centre: the white outlines rocks and pieces of sky

Architectural purity among the rocks

The Desert X AlUla 2024 Visitor Center, designed by KWY.studio, a multidisciplinary platform exploring various architecture projects, is located at the end of a narrow dead-end canyon, a configuration that has influenced both the building's location and its internal layout. Surrounded by imposing rock formations, the building offers a panoramic view to the west, contrasting with the canyon walls that envelop it to the north, east, and south. These breathtaking scenarios of layered cliffs are an integral part of the overall experience.

"Procession" of spaces from entrance to courtyard

The path through the Visitor Center unfolds from east, where the arrival platform is located, to west, where the panoramic terrace is found. This linear movement is designed to create a sense of procession, with space narrowing in the entrance vestibule, opening up in the sky-exposed courtyard, and expanding in the mirrored vestibule, leading to a spectacular view. The fluidity of the design allows visitors to easily grasp the spatial configuration of the building.

Rotation of spaces and suggestive perspectives

The courtyard, rotated by 45 degrees, connects shaded vestibules to the east and west, while the main entrances to the café, shop, and event hall are located to the north and south, making the most of this rotation. The spaces generated by the rotation not only create suggestive diagonal views, but also a sensation of continuous movement between interior and exterior.

Despite the openness to the landscape, the courtyard offers a sense of protection and shading, while still maintaining enchanting glimpses of the sky and surrounding rock formations. The 45-degree rotation aligns the internal horizon with the circular oculus, creating a unique and engaging spatial experience for visitors.

Design Evolution and Spatial Intimacy

The 2024 Visitor Center is the third iteration of a series of related structures. While it maintains the fundamental principles of previous designs, this version has been expanded and refined. The interior spaces have been enhanced, and the courtyard rotation has introduced a new dimension of depth and connection with the natural environment. Unlike previous editions, the more secluded position of the 2024 edition fosters a more intimate relationship with the landscape, with inward views that create an immersive experience.

In the 2024 edition, several aspects have been refined, including the structural solidity, inherited from the Hegra project of 2020, and the courtyard entrance, which has undergone a significant transformation. What was a simple passageway in 2020 and a transitional space in 2022 has become in 2024 a spacious vestibule that directs visitors' gaze towards a majestic panorama.

A design journey based on collaboration

Since 2019, our involvement in AlUla has been fascinating, witnessing the continuous and extraordinary developments. Desert X AlUla is now a well-established institution, and we are honored to be part of its growth. From the initial design in 2020 to the more natural transformation in 2022, the collaborative process in 2024 has been the most intense and significant. This journey, marked by mutual respect and sharing, has allowed us to contribute to the renewal of AlUla, a unique place where we now feel like honorary citizens.