This ambitious luxury resort island project for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) aims to reshape the region into a premier international tourist destination.

Designed by Foster and Partners architects, the project aims to turn the existing island into a luxurious resort destination that features an 800 metre diametre ring hotel with a central lagoon, over 550 luxury villas, and various amenity buildings, including beach clubs, restaurants, entertainment destinations, an 18- hole golf course, and associated amenities.

BG&E’s role on the SAR 12 billion valued project involved

• Design of 43 luxury villas, ranging from three to eight bedrooms, each with a unique architectural style and character.
• Design of nine different common amenity buildings, with two set to be constructed over the shallow waters just off the coast off the island.

Our Designer’s had to overcome several challenges to deliver the project, including

• Ensuring durability of the structures in an extremely aggressive environment, including marine structures and timber elements.
• The projects very remote location and difficulty involved in transportation of labour and materials meant maximising the use of off-site manufacturing.

Preserving the project’s architectural vision, BG&E collaborated with Timber Design Studios to incorporate extensive use of structural timber throughout. This included internal and external elements like pergolas, canopies, and roof structures. Notably, the use of exposed glulam timber beams and CLT panels in the Golf Clubhouse entrance achieved seven metre cantilevers, creating a memorable arrival experience for guests. The timber theme was seamlessly extended to each villa community to ensure the barefoot luxury feel of the island. BG&E and TDS worked closely with Fosters to ensure distinct architectural expressions for the four communities through specific framing methods and species selection.