UNDERSTANDING THE EVOLVING CITY

The project began in 2020 with a scope focused on wayfinding, signage, and public art across the exterior public realm. In 2023, following the completion of SEDRA Phase 1, we revisited the project to refine and strengthen the navigational framework in response to updated masterplan conditions and ROSHN design guidelines.

This second phase allowed us to review street naming systems, refine message structures, and improve coordination across thousands of bilingual sign messages throughout the township. As the development continued to evolve, the wayfinding strategy was carefully adapted to remain coherent across both completed and future phases of the city.

Beyond coordination alone, the project explored how people mentally understand and navigate large environments. Our strategy was grounded in cognitive mapping, structuring navigation from the scale of the wider Riyadh context down to districts, neighbourhoods, and individual streets. This layered framework allows users to progressively build familiarity with the township through spatial relationships, landmarks, and recognisable patterns of movement.

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HIERARCHY AND IDENTITY

The navigational framework was shaped through a detailed analysis of the road network, movement speeds, and key decision points throughout the development. Signage locations were strategically positioned to support early decision-making along primary roads while introducing more localised neighbourhood guidance within secondary and tertiary streets.

Destination hierarchies established a clear relationship between districts, streets, and residential zones, creating a system that remains legible across multiple scales of movement. A structured addressing strategy further strengthened orientation within residential areas, with villa numbering systems designed to support intuitive understanding of sequence and direction.

The naming strategy drew inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s ecological and natural landscape, referencing birds, flora, wildlife, geological formations, and regional terrain. This approach introduced a stronger sense of identity and memory within each neighbourhood while connecting the township back to its environmental context.

The SEDRA experience is shaped through a series of layered interventions that connect movement, identity, and placemaking across the township.

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PUBLIC ART AS ORIENTATION

Public art was approached as an experiential layer that strengthens orientation and identity. Large scale artworks were positioned at key arrival points, helping people recognise major districts and gateways. Along main routes and wadi corridors, smaller installations create moments of interaction and discovery.

Subtle artistic elements were also integrated within streets and public spaces. These quieter interventions bring character to the landscape while maintaining harmony with the surrounding environment. Together, these elements create an environment where art does more than decorate space. It becomes part of the navigation experience, helping people remember where they are and how places relate to one another.

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A UNIFIED VISUAL LANGUAGE

Early concepts explored colour differentiation between districts before evolving toward a more cohesive material strategy. Aluminium structures and engraved acrylic detailing create a refined visual language inspired by urban geometry and the movement of the surrounding wadi landscape, establishing continuity across the township while remaining adaptable for future growth.

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The SEDRA wayfinding and public art strategy establishes a coherent framework for navigation, identity, and placemaking across a rapidly evolving urban environment. By combining spatial hierarchy, cognitive mapping, and experiential interventions, the project supports confident movement while strengthening the relationship between people, landscape, and community, creating exceptional human experiences.