The Diriyah Biennale Foundation is Saudi Arabia’s primary institution dedicated to promoting contemporary and Islamic arts from the region and beyond. Upon its establishment in 2021, Bricklab won an international competition for the design and construction of its headquarters in Riyadh’s JAX creative district. One of the first anchor tenants in the district, the foundation called for the rehabilitation of 8 decommissioned warehouses spanning a total area of 16,000 m2 to host world-class galleries, art handling facilities, public workshop areas, offices, an auditorium, and a multipurpose plaza.
The architectural language implemented across the site pays homage to the site’s industrial past. Most of the warehouse facades were maintained in their original condition, while a continuous band of translucent polycarbonate runs throughout the property to filter out incongruities and establish a strong presence for the foundation within the urban fabric and simultaneously along the valley. A series of openings interrupt the once-isolated interiors to frame views across the valley onto the wider JAX district. Organized around a central open-air plaza, the different exhibition spaces are weaved together through a set of ramps and exterior walkways that traverse the disparate warehouses comprising the Biennale complex. This outdoor area has since become the locus of public activities and a compelling series of site-specific art installations.
The architecture of the Diriyah Biennale headquarters highlights a sense of urban continuity and a subtle reference to the repercussions of the later stages of the oil boom on the historic town of Ad Diriyah. As such, it is a relatively rare exercise in rehabilitation and adaptive re-use, especially when concered with a former industrial district. Generally, this demonstrates a shared visionary approach that has proclaimed a marked departure from the contemporary trends towards new construction that Saudi Arabia has become infamous for in the past decade.
