Carrying more than 18 million passengers in its first weeks, Riyadh Metro is the world’s longest driverless transit system—spanning 176 kilometres across 6 lines and 85 stations throughout Saudi Arabia’s capital. The King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) Metro Station serves as a key interchange on the new network, with six rail platforms over four levels connecting with bus and park-&-ride services to create a multi-modal transport hub.
The KAFD Metro Station’s design prioritizes connectivity. Predicted pedestrian traffic has been modelled and structured to optimize internal circulation and avoid congestion, resulting in a three-dimensional lattice clad in ultra-high-performance concrete panels. The façade’s geometric perforations reduce solar gain as a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional environmental sheltering within the region’s vernacular architecture.
Providing optimal comfort at minimum energy demand, the station combines effective passive design features with a high-efficiency cooling system powered by renewables and automatically adjusts to differing passenger levels throughout the day - achieving LEED Gold certification by the US Green Building Council.
