AL ULA, WINTER CAMP

Ashar, Saudi Arabia

AL ULA, WINTER CAMP

Ashar, Saudi Arabia

BACK
TEXT

Al Ula is located near the famous Hegra necropolis, an archaeological site listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Since 2018, this oasis has hosted the annual Winter at Tantora festival, a celebration of nature, heritage, and art that has become a new landmark in the cultural scene. We developed our landscape strategy for this site through a process that examined both long-term goals and shorter-term needs: projects requiring immediate implementation included beautifying the site, adopting flood risk mitigation measures, upgrading existing facilities, and transforming temporary infrastructure into permanent infrastructure. Our design approach centers on careful observation of the natural dynamics in this desert region, shaped by a network of wadis. By scaling this network to size and recreating it across a contemporary landscape composition, our project cultivates a site that is perfectly adapted to the significant environmental constraints of the area. In this way, the preserved and expanded network of wadis forms a continuous landscape, meticulously designed to collect surface water runoff and sustain vegetation. A landscape tapestry featuring xeric, drought-tolerant species blankets the entire project site, providing shade and comfortable microclimates while enhancing the ecological network and ensuring landscape connectivity.

data
Year:
2019
Status:
Study
Program:
Territories, Cultural
Client:

Royal Commission of Al Ula (RCU)
French Agency for Al Ula Developemnt (AFALULA)

Project Team:

MDP Michel Desvigne Paysagiste / AW2 / Egis

Area:

2 900 ha