Portuguese architecture studio OODA has revealed designs for a new training facility for Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr Football Club that reinterprets traditional regional architecture through a contemporary lens. The House of Nassr complex, currently under construction beside the club's existing Al-Awwal Park stadium in Riyadh, will span 4,000 square meters and include two training pitches alongside comprehensive indoor facilities. The design features a distinctive triangular-patterned facade that draws inspiration from Saudi Arabia's vernacular building traditions. The first phase of the project has been completed, while the second phase involving the hotel's construction remains ongoing.
The architectural expression emerges from a careful interpretation of Saudi vernacular architecture through controlled use of light and shadow, rhythmic facade composition, and a filtering envelope designed in response to local climatic conditions. OODA's approach establishes what they describe as "a direct relationship with the territorial context and the club's identity." The triangular motif carries across the entire development, appearing in openings that modulate sunlight while creating a signature visual identity for the facility. This pattern-based strategy allows the contemporary sports architecture to resonate with regional heritage without resorting to literal historical pastiche.
The complex comprises two main rectilinear volumes with latticed facades that flank the training pitches. One volume contains administrative areas and social spaces, while the other houses a hotel for players and staff. Renders reveal low-lying structures stretching alongside the fields, with an additional pavilion building overlooking the larger training pitch. Both main buildings feature a textured base and a latticed upper level that filters light into interior spaces. The smaller hotel volume is rendered as being raised atop a series of walls punctuated with triangular openings, creating an open-air ground level that promotes ventilation and visual connection.
OODA arranged the layout to respond specifically to the operational demands of professional football, creating a continuous connection between the buildings and playing fields. The architecture structures the project around the scale of the athletes and their sport, with careful consideration given to circulation patterns and observation areas. This arrangement strengthens the interplay between training and preparation, allowing players to move seamlessly between practice and recovery spaces. Access points are positioned to optimize flow during intense training schedules while providing staff with optimal observation points for monitoring player development.
Inside the facilities, neutral-colored floors and walls create a calm backdrop set off by decorative details in the club's signature yellow and blue colors. This restrained interior palette allows the focus to remain on athletic performance while still reinforcing team identity through strategic color application. The material choices reflect the harsh desert climate, with durable finishes that can withstand heavy use and extreme temperatures. The design balances functional requirements for a high-performance training environment with the aesthetic ambitions of a world-class football club seeking to attract top talent.
The House of Nassr represents another significant sports architecture project for OODA, who recently completed the Liga Portugal headquarters and football museum in Porto with a honeycomb-patterned facade. The studio has also unveiled plans for a gridded skyscraper designed as an "urban gateway" for Tirana, Albania. For Al Nassr, which features global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo on its roster, the new facility signals the club's ambition to compete at the highest international level. By grounding the design in local architectural traditions while meeting contemporary performance standards, OODA creates a facility that serves both athletic excellence and community pride.
