RMJM to design the Meydan office park in Riyadh with a seasonal concept

Following the client’s directions and vision, RMJM focused on creating a space that had the potential to attract talent as an entrepreneurial hub. In the firm’s words – ‘a place that grows and evolves with the times, changing from day to night, from season to season’. 

Detailing the masterplan

The master plan was developed based on factors such as the workplace environment, its adaptability, accessibility, and sustainability. The studio produced three distinct densities of façades for each office building, based on their understanding of the site context and solar studies.

The idea as per the firm was to simply “pull out” one side of the façade so that each model may cast a shadow on its own face. Each building’s corners have rounded edges, symbolising the continuous and seamless nature of the building’s core business functions.

Each building will have a distinct characteristic corresponding to the four seasons following the landscape concept. The rooftops talk back to the programming of the project. They provide a chance to have office spaces closely connected to the landscape, so the team treated it as such, with a green edge all around with space between for seating outside.

An infinity park was designed to welcome the visitors with a sculpted statement gate, an infinity mirrored boundary walkway, ‘Instagrammable’ components and a generous amount of relaxed seating furniture. The team studied the sun path carefully and created mounds and berms with trees at the crests.

Cultural and seasonal associations

“To make the development truly unique and outstanding, we have developed a cultural speciality – ‘Arabic headscar’” as our key design concept,” said Yasuko Kobayashi, associate director at RMJM Dubai.

“Our design approach was based on studying and converting the cultural symbols into contemporary architectural language and designing them on different scales to celebrate the local legacy within the development through the façade pattern, artwork, ID, signage, etc. As a result, the project has a bespoke look and feel even though we have specified the standard materials.”

The park also embraces the concept of the seasons by hosting flowering trees and flora that change through the year. Each space has been named as such. The buildings with a shaded entry are known as ‘Winter’; the ones that face the south sun are called ‘Summer’; those around the landscaped courtyard are ‘Spring’, and those that experience a mix of the sun and shade are ‘Autumn’.

The basement plan included voids that were cut to bring ambient sunlight, greenery and even a water feature down two levels, opening the basements to the experiences above. With the landscape design also moving down vertically, the basement areas become a continuation of the seasons above. The gaps are also connected vertically by a woven mesh element, which creates a fluid visual transition from the basement to the ground level landscape.