#DESERT X ALULA WINDOWS#
The few, precisely located windows create various focal points up and down the canyon and increase the contrast between the domestic and the unlimited: an expression of our scale and our relationship with nature. It is a place to rest and find shelter in the open desert, while its courtyard frames views into the sky and the magnificent landscape. The Visitor Centre is a simple square building, carefully isolated at the entrance of the Hidden Canyon welcoming visitors for the first Desert X Al Ula exhibition: it offers basic amenities such as an information centre and a café as well as a generously shaded courtyard and a viewing deck outside. Interior space is usually a clear, carved void defined by the mass of cut stone – and by Meda’in Saleh’s siq there is an intriguing traditional dining hall lined by three benches for holding annual banquets. The most significant of these are decorated in an eclectic weave of architectural styles in precisely cut sandstone columns, arches and cornices: fine examples of delicate design and incredible craftsmanship.
Not far from Al Ula is Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site for its rock-cut monumental tombs. With palm tree crowns peaking above the sand coloured walls, we can imagine the refreshing shade within, a place where one could rest from the surrounding arid desert. Some of the most prevalent structures found everywhere around Al Ula are walled date plantations, usually rectangular in shape with large, centrally aligned gates. January 2020, Desert X AlUla, AlUla, Saudi Arabia KWY.studio (Design: Ricardo Gomes, Luise Marter and Rebecca Billi Development and Coordination: Filipa Crujo and Sara Cálem Assistants: Fergus Laidlaw, Ali Talaat and Allegra Zanirato) Commissioner: Royal Commission for AlUla Management: Aecom Contractor: Nesma
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