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Luxurious Retreat In Saudi Arabia's Historic AlUla Region | |
| Sumita Pawar |
AW2, the Paris-based architecture and interiors studio, has completed the design of Banyan Tree AlUla, a resort in the Ashar Valley of AlUla in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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The project was guided by the Strategic Master Planning Guidelines for Alula and the Saudi Vision 2030, and the design integrates and responds to Saudi Arabia’s ambitions for the future as well as the resort’s completely unique desert setting amid rock formations and ancient heritage sites.
AW2 took an environmentally friendly, ‘light touch’ approach to the design, which aims to blend the resort seamlessly with the natural scenery of the Ashar valley.
To emphasise the light-touch approach in the development of the vast site, paths and walkways were designed as trails in the sand.
Guests travel through a landscape of sand dunes, allowing them to get closer to nature. Bespoke furniture design expresses a sense of nomadic culture and patterns inspired by the Nabataeans, and traditional motifs are used throughout, evoking the rich cultural heritage of Ashar.