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STC Metro Station (Olaya Metro Station)

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

º£½ÇÊÓƵ brought broad multidisciplinary expertise to the Riyadh Metro—a landmark $22.5 billion urban transit programme reshaping mobility across the rapidly expanding capital. Spanning six lines, 88 stations and 176km of track, the system is designed to carry 3.6 million passengers a day by 2030 and reduce nearly two million daily car journeys.

Our contribution to two of its most architecturally significant stations—the King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station (KAFD) and the STC Metro Station (formerly Olaya)—demonstrates the value of our integrated engineering capabilities in delivering transformative, city‑defining infrastructure.

Working alongside Zaha Hadid Architects for KAFD and Gerber Architekten for STC Metro Station, º£½ÇÊÓƵ provided the full breadth of multidisciplinary engineering required to realise these landmark structures. At STC, this meant delivering a complex interchange hub that not only connects two deep underground metro lines but also integrates a peaceful public garden at ground level—an approach that balances technical performance with high‑quality public realm.

Conceived by Gerber Architekten, STC Metro Station combines architectural refinement with efficient transport functionality, drawing inspiration from the desert landscape to create a distinctive and well‑proportioned gateway. This major development required the coordination of numerous stakeholders and the seamless integration of metro operations, extensive retail and food and beverage space, road transport links, including a bus terminal, and a landscaped urban park into a single, high‑performing hub.

STC Metro Station at Olaya is the primary interchange station for lines 1 and 2 – a major transportation hub with a peaceful public garden at street level.

Occupying a prominent central location, this development forms the interchange of two deep underground metro lines.

Riyadh’s population has more than doubled since 1990, to more than seven million people and it is expected to rise to 8.53 million within a decade.

Eventually taking the role of lead consultant, º£½ÇÊÓƵ coordinated the architecture and the engineering design for this prestigious site.

Our experts defined a construction sequence and groundwater control regime that eliminated all tension piles from the early design, yielding significant savings.

Challenge

Delivering STC Metro Station demanded resolving substantial technical and spatial constraints associated with creating a deep underground interchange in a busy urban setting. The station’s 30‑metre‑deep structure, multiple passenger levels, and integration of extensive retail, above‑ground public realm, and roof‑level plantrooms required careful coordination to ensure safe circulation, clear wayfinding and efficient operational performance.

Inside the station there are four levels extending 30 metres below ground. The basement floors include the main concourse, ticket hall and vertically separated platforms for Line One and Line Two. The above ground area accommodates a large retail space in keeping with a scheme that employs open views and natural light to enable easy wayfinding. In addition, and hidden from public view within the roof structure, there are very large plantrooms containing transit system equipment and tunnel ventilation fans.

Eventually taking the role of lead consultant, º£½ÇÊÓƵ coordinated the architecture and the engineering design for this prestigious site. This was undertaken along with other consultants providing expertise for landscaping, external works, and cost planning, as well as RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety) studies.

The fire strategy for the station required close attention and expert advice on international best-practice since project-specific requirements exceeded Saudi Civil Defence norms at the time of design. This process involved additional layers of review as well as line-wide coordination on key items that went beyond typical National Fire Protection Association/Saudi Building Code compliance. Advising on the flow of people and future proofing the station to accommodate increases in use were also key considerations. Peak, off-peak and special event scenarios all had to be considered to ensure a safe and comfortable passenger experience.

Solution

Numerous interfaces with multiple subsystem designers each required coordination and integration into the overall design. This ranged from physical interfaces for the rolling stock and transit systems to detailed MEP coordination for items such as tunnel ventilation systems, signalling and passenger information systems. Through the project’s interface management process, items were identified, developed and defined in the final integrated design documentation.

Our designs were fully coordinated with all subsystems. This ensured clear understanding between º£½ÇÊÓƵ and the subsystem designers, which resolved integration issues prior to construction, commissioning and operation of the metro. Where the interfaces related to safety, our engineers adopted Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety (RAMS) processes.

º£½ÇÊÓƵ was required to efficiently manage the fire strategy through stakeholder review and approval with the design drawings and overall strategy eventually presented to the Civil Defence Authority for approval.

Working closely with the client, our experts defined a construction sequence and groundwater control regime that eliminated all tension piles from the early design. This expertise yielded significant savings.

Similarly, value engineering with the considered space planning minimising the below ground areas and the introduction of two technical floors at roof level, allowed costly below ground space to be reduced. Our people flow modelling capability reduced internal floor area and ticket gates, which saved overall building costs for the same passenger flow level of service. We were also able to ‘stress test’ the station to demonstrate capacity and resilience in a range of forecast scenarios.

Value

The unique design of STC Metro Station creates a recognisable landmark along Riyadh’s most prestigious urban axis between King Fahad Road and Olaya Street—standing alongside icons such as the Faisaliah Tower and Kingdom Tower. Beyond its architectural presence, the station delivers meaningful value to the people of Riyadh by improving daily mobility, reducing dependence on private vehicles, and supporting the city’s transition to a more sustainable and efficient transport network. As part of a metro system expected to carry 3.6 million passengers per day by 2030, the station plays a vital role in easing congestion, shortening journey times and enhancing overall quality of life for residents and visitors.

For the client, º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s involvement brought the full strength of our multidisciplinary capability to a technically ambitious vision. Our international design team helped realise the project’s bold architectural intent while delivering robust engineering solutions for a busy urban environment. Through close collaboration with architects and stakeholders, rigorous systems integration, and considered value engineering, we ensured the station performs as a safe, efficient and future‑ready transport hub. Following the detailed design stages, our team continued to support construction across both KAFD and STC Metro Stations, helping the client confidently deliver two of the city’s most complex and high‑profile infrastructure assets.