year: 2011-2012

Location: Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and KAEC, Saudi Arabia Architect: Foster + Partners Consultant: Diyar consulting

 

Project architect of The Haramain High-speed Railway , a major infrastructure project for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, connecting the cities of Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and the developing King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). The stations, which have been designed by a Foster + Partners and Buro Happold joint venture, with local architect, Dar Al Riyadh, are conceived as gateways to each city, filled with places to meet, shop, eat and shelter from the sun. Altogether, the large, flexible stations will cover an area more than 30 times the size of London’s Trafalgar Square and will accommodate an anticipated 60 million passengers by 2012 – approximately six times the number of passengers that take the Eurostar from St Pancras each year. This is expected to increase to 135 million passengers by 2042. the open space strategy is based on a gradation of landscape typologieswich responds to social and environmental requirements,  using a modular design approch has aided the formulation of flexible and efficient plazza spaces of the station, ease of movement and orientation has been a key drive for the design of the landscape and careful consideration was taken to address pedestrian flows across the entrance plazas and vehcular drop off zones when sitting the landscape elements. clear views and direct walkways have been provided to allow ease of transfer for pedestrian to and from building entrances. open square andshaded gardens are located along these routes to provide plaes to meet during the day and night to create a landscape hairarchy for all users. Locally sourced, native trees and palms planted in the plazza space to provide shade and shelter and help to mitigate the urban heat island effect. the sellection and setting of palms and trees species further aid orientation to the main drop off areas with groves of trees highlighting secondary and tertiary areas. the creation of desert landscape in the surrounding areas will take rainwater and storm water run-off to minimize the potential for flooding