Desert X AlUla 2022 Visitor Centre: the white outlines rocks and pieces of sky

What is the story of the Desert X AlUla 2022 Visitor Centre?

The founders of KWY.studio visited the city of AlUla, located in Saudi Arabia, in the Medina province, for the first time in 2019, during the preparations for Desert X 2020. The city was undergoing development, and while scouting locations for One Two Three Swing! with the artists SUPERFLEX, they explored Hegra, the old city, and the natural wonders of the area.

Shortly after their visit, they were asked to design a Visitor Centre, just months before the exhibition's opening. The challenge was to design quickly, working with local suppliers and limited materials. The brief was simple: a welcoming point with a café, information center, and services. The design had to be discreet, functional, and in harmony with the surrounding environment, without overshadowing the artworks.

Since 2020, the project has seen new iterations, the architecture projects of 2022 and 2024, marking a collaborative journey based on mutual respect and appreciation, contributing to the rebirth of AlUla and its vibrant growth.

The Visitor Center 2022 reinvents the previous

Following the success of Desert X AlUla 2020, KWY.studio was once again tasked with designing the Visitor Centre for the 2022 edition. The new design has taken up and reinterpreted key elements of the original structure, such as the circular courtyard and axial integrity, maintaining simplicity and harmony with the surrounding landscape.

The Royal Commission for AlUla had identified a new site for the 2022 edition, requiring an evolution of the original project. The 2022 Visitor Centre is not a mere replica of the 2020 one, but an iteration that has added new volumes to the North and East, expanding functions with a shop, event spaces, indoor seating, and enhanced services for staff.

Design evolution that enhances the landscape

The new symmetrical layout, developed around the courtyard perimeter, is characterized by an elliptical opening on the roof, which optimizes the entrance of sunlight and accentuates the diagonal character of the project. Four new smaller courtyards offer varying degrees of privacy and a parallel circulation between different areas of the building. The connections between interior and exterior are enriched with new perspectives, while the enfilades gain depth through additional openings and aligned rooms.

While maintaining the essence of the 2020 structure, the 2022 version has acquired a greater architectural complexity, still remaining a device for observing the landscape. Close collaboration with an attentive client has allowed KWY.studio to further develop the typological concept and strengthen an already well-functioning idea. The Visitor Centre underwent further evolution with the 2024 edition, completing a triptych that celebrates the landscape and culture of AlUla.

Innovation in respect of desert tradition

 The Desert X AlUla Visitor Centre reinterprets traditional desert architecture, characterized by vernacular structures that avoid direct exposure to the sun, creating an introspective interaction with the landscape. Our project, on the other hand, balances protection and openness, proposing a new typology that combines a protective enclosure with carefully studied exposure.

Constructed swiftly with local materials, the Visitor Centre is a light steel structure clad in fiber cement and finished according to RCU guidelines. The generous courtyard and roof lights are made possible by elements in concrete cast on-site.

An accurate analysis of the solar path guided the design, with an elliptical opening in the roof that maximizes natural light entry when needed, providing shade during peak sunlight hours. This system enhances comfort and reduces the need for mechanical cooling.

A silent architecture that transforms the cultural landscape of AlUla

Desert X AlUla, the first site-specific art exhibition in the region, is free and open to all, taking place in the historic desert region of AlUla, a place of global significance in Saudi Arabia. The 2022 Visitor Centre has built on the potential already revealed with the 2020 structure, reaffirmed once again in 2024: a discreet and contextual architecture can play a key role in community development.

As a reference point for Desert X editions, the Visitor Centre has become a central tool for place-making. The young Desert X guides, who enthusiastically welcome local families and visitors from afar, find in this space a contemporary and familiar starting point. These buildings, in their iterations, foster new ways of interacting with art, architecture, and landscapes, generating novel social encounters.

The legacy of the Visitor Centre is expressed through iconic elements, such as the central courtyard with its circular opening to the sky, influencing a new architectural language in the region. While the project was conceived as a device for landscape observation, the fact that some of its features have been adopted by other structures in AlUla demonstrates its relevance and lasting impact.