Riyadh Architecture City Guide: 16 Projects from Heritage to Urban Expansion

"Once a Najdi settlement defined by mudbrick walls and courtyard houses, Riyadh has undergone one of the most radical urban transformations of the 20th and 21st centuries. The discovery of oil reserves, the consolidation of political power, and the rapid expansion of infrastructure reshaped the city from a regional capital into a sprawling metropolis almost within a single generation. As a result, Riyadh's urban fabric is marked by discontinuities, fragments of vernacular architecture coexist with mid-century institutional modernism, and a rapidly evolving contemporary skyline."

"As a result, Riyadh's urban fabric is marked by discontinuities, fragments of vernacular architecture coexist with mid-century institutional modernism, and a rapidly evolving contemporary skyline. In recent decades, this layered condition has been further intensified by large-scale development strategies and cultural investment programs that position architecture as a tool for redefining national identity. International practices have played a decisive role in shaping key institutions, infrastructures, and landmarks, while local studios increasingly contribute projects that reinterpret climate, materiality, and social space within a contemporary framework."

Riyadh evolved from a Najdi settlement of mudbrick walls and courtyard houses into a sprawling metropolis during the 20th and 21st centuries. Oil discovery, political consolidation, and rapid infrastructure expansion drove transformation within a single generation. The city's urban fabric contains discontinuities where fragments of vernacular architecture sit alongside mid-century institutional modernism and a rapidly changing contemporary skyline. Recent large-scale development strategies and cultural investment programs have intensified this layered condition by using architecture to redefine national identity. International firms have shaped major institutions, infrastructures, and landmarks, while local studios increasingly reinterpret climate, materiality, and social space in contemporary projects.

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