Asharq – radio and podcast studio, Riyadh

Radio is now filmed, clipped and streamed, and a studio that only sounds good is half a studio. Asharq’s radio and podcast studio in the DQ development is designed for both jobs: an audio room that is also a set.

Turning radio into television

The studio is a circular glass drum standing inside the newsroom. Branded graphics run across the glazing, the wall behind the presenters is a saturated orange, and a lit ring in the ceiling marks the drum from across the floor. In the night render, with the newsroom dark, it glows like a lantern.

Inside, a round table puts host and guests face to face, with microphones on arms, headphones and an integrated mixing position. Nobody hides behind a desk, so conversation stays natural, and cameras find clean singles and two-shots across the circle. The light is warm and adjustable, from a close interview to a livelier panel.

Quiet in a working newsroom

A glass room in the middle of an open newsroom needs serious sound isolation and acoustic treatment to record cleanly. The technical layer adds multi-channel microphones, broadcast mixing and streaming-ready video, with room for live social feeds and graphic overlays.

The newsroom around it, also designed by VIPRO, shares the language: open-plan desks, a video wall and a lit ceiling feature that ties the floor back to the drum.