The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) revealed design plans for its new mountain resort named Desert Rock.
Created by Oppenheim Architecture, Desert Rock is designed to protect and preserve the environment and will allow guests to connect with nature and local culture of the region.
Guests will enter the resort through a hidden valley nestled between the mountains. From there, they will find 48 villas and 12 hotel rooms within the mountain, a total of 60 keys, with architecture fully integrated into the rock to preserve its striking silhouette.
A range of accommodation will be available, from ground-level dwellings to crevice hotel suites midway up the mountain, as well as a select number of excavated rooms within the rock massif itself.
To provide uninterrupted views, most roads leading into the resort will be pushed to the edge of the main wadi and hidden behind landscape mounds. This will also minimize sound and light pollution, allowing guests to fully absorb the dramatic desert landscape.
The resort will feature a spa and a fitness center, remote destination dining areas as well as a feature lagoon oasis. Guests will be able to hike, use dune buggies and star gaze.
As part of TRSDC’s commitment to regenerative tourism, Desert Rock will be designed to achieve the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification level.
The architecture has been designed to reduce energy consumption and regenerate native flora. Water retention and distribution systems will be used throughout the site, with harvested rainwater used to create a more green, flourishing Wadi.
In addition, materials excavated from the site will be used to create the infrastructure. Stone will be used for interior and exterior walls and floors, while ground stone and existing sand will be used for concrete aggregate, which is the main building material for all the architecture.
The Red Sea Project has already passed significant milestones and is on track to welcome the first guests by the end of 2022, when the first hotels will open. Phase One, which includes 16 hotels in total, will be ready by 2023.
Upon completion in 2030, the destination will comprise 50 resorts, offering up to 8,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites. The destination will also include luxury marinas, golf courses, entertainment, leisure facilities and an international airport.
