Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The campus, catering to as many as 60,000 female undergraduates, is oriented on a north-south axis that aligns the Academic Campus at the north, the Health Science and Research Campus, and the hospital to the south. This linear commons, three kilometres long, using a system of repetitive modular components, includes pedestrian spines sheltered from the sun. Individual colleges, organised around intimate courtyards and common buildings, are arranged along the spines. The Student Union has a transparent exterior and a porous façade with many entry points to encourage social interaction. Architectural screens, symbolising the woman’s veil and used both vertically and horizontally, evolve uniquely throughout the campus, providing an outer layer of shade and protection from the sun.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture