Architectural Interventions in the Desert: Natural Escapes, Minimal Intervention, and Solitary Luxury
Located deep in some of the most isolated desert landscapes across the Middle East and further afield, these desert camp hotels offer a way to connect with their surroundings through the solitary experience of an open, expansive landscape.
By ignoring the kind of structural interventions likely to alter their historic and often culturally relevant landscapesprojects position traditional and local skills, materials and materials. architectural techniques alongside premium luxury interiors.
As the Middle East region uses development to transform and diversify its economies towards tourism and other more sustainable sectors – with various affairs, hospitalityAnd cultural projects in the works, if not already in full swing – these desert hotel camps show that in addition to preparing for its future, the region is still focused on preserving the traditions and environments of its past.
1- Environmental protection
Located just 15 km from Hegra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia, Al-Ula is an ancient oasis town in the middle of the desert, surrounded by architecturally and historically significant tombs and rock formations. As a member of Saudi Vision 2030 – the official strategy for transforming the Kingdom through economic, social and cultural diversification – the Banyan Tree Al Ula Resort brings together 47 suites under stretched canvas tents.
Stretching these sand-colored tents on the built structures, the project architects AH2 were initially able to protect the reception areas from the desert sun, but the two-tier system the building envelope also ensures ventilation between the roofs and the glass roof. Meanwhile, the color, material and pattern palettes selected for the project – such as the variation of the horizontal lines of the compacted sand facade matching the rock formations in the background – blend seamlessly into the dune landscape.
When planning the project, the natural topography of the environment takes precedence over built structures, and not the other way around. For example, the original sand dunes are preserved and used to form corridors and passageways between suites and amenities, and the resort's iconic swimming pool is located in a natural crevice in the rock.
Banyan Tree AlUla Resort / Architecture and interiors AW2
2- Hybrid design mixes old and new
About an hour's drive from United Arab Emirates coast and major cities, lies the Mysk Al Badayer Resortt, an artificial oasis offering tourists and locals the opportunity to escape into the nearby desert landscape, without straying too far from civilization. In fact, with a cafe, restaurant, amphitheatre, gym, indoor pool and sauna, all based on the resort's tented plaza at its centre, all the amenities usually associated with hospitality establishments in luxury are just steps away.
While the ten tents that surround the resort's perimeter – with 15 more planned – provide easy access to its services, they also overlook the bare beauty of the desert, combining the comfort of connectivity with a soothing sense of isolation.
“Expressing a form of hybrid identity” as the station’s architects say, Wael Al-Masri Planners and ArchitectsPut the, Mysk Al Badayer brings together local traditional architectural typologies such as coursearcades and moucharabiehs; a desert peach color palette; and the use of elevated pergolas for shade protection, with “careful use of modern planning systems, repetitive architectural forms, construction technologies and the use of contemporary tensioned fabrics”.
Mysk Al Badayer Retreat, Desert Camp / Wael Al-Masri Planners and Architects
3- Mixture Architecture and environment Par for the course
While the first two projects presented either use ancient features of their surroundings such as sand dunes and rock formations, or traditional local architectural typologies, palettes and skills, the Ayla Golf Academy station in AkabaJordan, uses the more contemporary material of sprayed sprayed concrete to produce a Clubhouse structure that mimics the undulations of the desert.
Part of a 17-square-mile leisure development expected to include residential, hotel and commercial spaces, the 13,000-square-foot Clubhouse “establishes a unique connection with nature by capturing the elemental, vibrant beauty of the rolling desert landscape, explain Architecture of Oppenheimwhile the continuous surface “emerges from the sand”.
Instead of showcasing and employing the work of local artisans skilled in traditional architectural work, the Ayla Golf Academy taught the innovative shotcrete pouring technique to project workers, allowing them to take ownership of construction and ultimately learn specialized shotcrete skills themselves. However, it’s not just about contemporary skills. A local artist applied a traditional pigmentation technique to the interior surfaces, giving them a raw, unadorned look. corten steel the screens were perforated with triangles with patterns inspired by traditional Jordanian motifs to create moucharabiehs in front.
Ayla Golf Club / Oppenheim Architecture
4- Of a Desert to another
Although the materials and architectural techniques used to build these projects are local, the concept of a luxury desert camp, combining high-quality amenities and design with the open expanse of the desert sky, crosses borders. Located in a rocky scrub near Monument Valley – a section of the Navajo Nation Native American reservation that runs along the border of Utah And Arizona in the USA – Camp Sarika makes good use of the iconic landscape, surrounded by sandstone buttes and mesas that feature in many Hollywood westerns.
Inspired by safari camps across Africa, Camp Sarika is the first year-round, all-weather luxury camp capable of withstanding the site's natural temperature variations, which range from 20 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a three-layer membrane, each tent starts with a custom woven polyester ceiling liner, under a patterned waterproof Riptech canvas, and topped with a recyclable pre-stressed structural canvas which overhangs the rest of the structure to ensure passive cooling and outdoor shelter.
With few additional amenities to rely on, Camp Sarika instead offers luxurious interior quality. Sandwiched between stunning views of the reservation's mesas to the east and sunsets to the west, the tentsThe engineered canvas overhang provides everyone with shaded outdoor spaces for heated plunge pools, lounge chairs and campfires.
Camp Sarika/Amangiri + Luxury Borders
Find these Desert The camps of Middle East and other isolating landscapes around the world in this ArchDaily file.
