Further information and case study for this project can be found at the De Gruyter Birkhäuser Modern Construction Online database

The following architectural case study is not available at Modern Construction Online

Transport Hub — Structure as Civic Space

This project explores how structure can operate as the primary generator of architectural space within a major transport hub in Jeddah. Rather than treating structure as a technical system that supports an independently conceived building, the project develops structure, circulation, enclosure and environmental performance as components of a shared organisational framework.

At the heart of the proposal is the belief that transport buildings should be more than efficient systems for movement. They should provide spaces that are welcoming, legible and dignified, enriching the experience of travel while contributing positively to the public realm. The architecture therefore seeks to transform infrastructure into civic space through the careful organisation of structure, light and movement.

The building is organised around a composite steel framework composed of many coordinated elements rather than a small number of monumental structural members. This approach creates a rich and differentiated architectural environment while maintaining structural efficiency. Structure operates simultaneously as support, enclosure, environmental moderator and spatial organiser, allowing multiple functions to be integrated within a coherent architectural system.

The structural framework establishes the character of the spaces beneath it. Variations in scale, density and geometry create distinct zones for movement, waiting, gathering and orientation. Rather than occupying a single undifferentiated hall, passengers move through a sequence of connected spaces whose identities emerge directly from the organisation of the structure itself.

Natural light forms an integral part of this spatial strategy. Openings within the roof structure introduce daylight deep into the building, creating changing patterns of light and shadow that reinforce movement through the terminal. Structure and daylight operate together to establish orientation, improve environmental quality and enrich the experience of travel.

The project challenges conventional approaches to transport architecture in which large buildings are often conceived as oversized containers within which activities are subsequently organised. Here, the structural system is developed as the primary source of spatial order. Circulation, programme, environmental performance and architectural expression emerge from a shared organisational logic, allowing the building to achieve coherence across multiple scales.

This approach produces an architecture that is expressive without relying on spectacle and generous without excess. Its character is derived from the careful articulation of construction, the coordination of many components and the quality of the spaces created between them. Architectural identity emerges through organisation rather than monumentality.

Advanced engineering and fabrication techniques support this ambition. Structural, environmental and enclosure systems are developed as coordinated parts of a single design process, allowing performance, constructability and architectural expression to evolve together. Construction therefore becomes an active contributor to the architectural concept rather than simply a means of delivery.

The project demonstrates how infrastructure can serve both practical and civic purposes. By bringing together structural precision, spatial differentiation and environmental responsiveness, the transport hub becomes a place of encounter, orientation and public life. Structure is understood not only as a means of spanning space, but as the framework through which architecture acquires order, identity and social value.