DQ Cultural walk
Client: DQDA
Services Provided: Landscape Architecture | Planning & Urban Design
Project Status: Ongoing
Location: Riyadh, DQ
Construction Cost: N/A
Total Area: 2 km
Starting Date: 2019
Completion Date: 2021
Challenge:
The challenge for the DQ Commercial Spine project was to redesign and upgrade the central boulevards within the Diplomatic Quarter (DQ) to create a more cohesive, dynamic, and pedestrian-friendly urban space. The objective was to modernize the area while maintaining its distinguished architectural character, ensuring it served both functional and aesthetic purposes in an area critical for international diplomacy.
Approach:
The approach focused on transforming the central boulevard into a mixed-use pedestrian walkway that would seamlessly connect the East and West sides of the DQ, as well as the North and South, making it a central hub for movement, interaction, and commerce. The project included landscape upgrades, façade enhancement guidelines, and the introduction of wayfinding systems to facilitate smooth navigation. The design harmonized the historical significance of the area with contemporary architectural elements, creating a space that encouraged social interactions while respecting the surrounding environment.
Impact:
The development of the DQ Commercial Spine has created a vibrant, walkable space that promotes connectivity and interaction within the DQ. By enhancing the pedestrian experience and architectural aesthetics, the project has turned the central boulevards into a distinctive urban feature that fosters a sense of place. It has become a central axis for the Diplomatic Quarter, improving the overall urban environment and supporting the broader vision of creating a modern, global city while respecting the cultural context of the area.
“The Cultural Spine”
The project’s scope aims at transforming the 1.8km spine into an iconic memorable journey with active social nodes, that celebrates a timeless national cultural identity, features fusion and innovation in art. The project provided a flexible and multifunctional design of open space that allows for a variety of experiences across the seasons. The concept builds on the fact that the commercial spine is located in the most cross-cultural quarter in Riyadh city and the award-winning landscape for its sensitivity to the local environment.
Inclusivitiy
The proposed uses and functions aim to transform the DQ into a living destination bringing together the different world’s cultures and exposing the heart of a regional architectural context of refined taste and quality and talking the visitor into a journey through time from the traditional to the contemporary aspect passing through the fusion between the two.
The first zone of the walk caters a bazaar and some antique stores, connected to adjacent garden that can accommodate weekly markets with different cuisines, supported by community spaces that will serve the local community in their daily lives, as well as the national and international visitors on their trips to DQ.
