Desert X AlUla 2022 Visitor Centre | KWY.studio

Following the success of the inaugural Desert X AlUla edition in 2020, we were once again commissioned to design the 2022 Visitor Centre. Our design process began by drawing from the celebrated and widely published original structure – its circular courtyard opening, axial integrity, and deference to the encompassing landscape. The edited version should reenvisage the main features of the design, granting one further opportunity to extend our process while maintaining the clarity and completed simplicity of the initial layout.

The 2020 Visitor Centre was imagined as a structure that could be further developed. Our client identified a complementary site for the new building and requested an evolution of the program while employing the same essential character and tested competence. This presented an opportunity to elaborate on the original design and to refine the typology as initially planned. The 2022 Visitor Centre is not a mere replica of the 2020 building but an iteration within a reopened design process. Instead of a fundamental development of the original, we were able to copy as a peculiar form of reinvention.

Our journey began with the addition of the originally absent North and East volumes to complete the reference structure. These volumes house additional program elements, including a corner shop, expanded areas for events, indoor seating for the café, and upgraded staff amenities. The symmetrical layout, now built around the courtyard perimeter, is counterbalanced by an elliptical roof opening – optimising solar exposure and emphasising the diagonal character of the redesign. Four new modest courtyards introduce differentiated levels of privacy and grant a parallel, alternative circulation between distinct areas of the building. Relations between the indoor and outdoor spaces are enriched with new perspectives, and enfilades gain depth through additionally aligned openings and rooms.

While retaining the singularity of the 2020 structure, the 2022 building has matured, taking on a slightly more complex and architectural character – nevertheless continuing to operate as a rewarding landscape viewing device. Our collaboration with a discerning client allowed us to explore a typological concept and expand upon an idea that works well. The Desert X Visitor Centre has a new iteration for the 2024 exhibition, aiming to complete a tryptic of praise to the AlUla landscape and its people.

Photography: Colin Robertson

Website: https://colin-robertson.com/