Neom unveils plans for hexagonal-pillar hotel on the Gulf of Aqaba
Saudi mega project Neom has unveiled images of a development named Siranna designed by Woods Bagot that will contain apartments and a hotel within a hexagonal structure designed to "blend into the adjoining mountain".
The latest region to be announced as part of the Neom development in the north west of Saudi Arabia, Siranna will be located on a bay on the Gulf of Aqaba that will only be accessible from the sea.
Described as an "ultra-luxurious destination" the development designed by architecture studio Woods Bagot will contain a 65-room hotel along with 35 private residences.
They will be housed in a rock-like structure that has a hexagonal form similar to a basalt column formation. According to the development it was designed to blend into the mountain it is being built alongside.
"The destination offers uninterrupted views of the Red Sea, with its tiered design offering diverse views and perspectives," said the developer.
"Emerging from the rugged coastal terrain, the hexagonal pillars are distinctive, yet complementary to the surrounding mountains and flora," it continued.
"The architecture will pay homage to the heritage of the local area and seamlessly blend into the adjoining mountain and wadi."
Along with the accommodation, the development will contain several restaurants, beach clubs, spas and wellness facilities.
Siranna is the seventh region to be announced as part of the Neom project, which includes the controversial 170-kilometre-long city called The Line.
It follows the unveiling of Epicon – a luxury tourist development containing a pair of jagged skyscrapers for a luxury resort on the Gulf of Aqaba and a trio of "luxury boutique hotels" named Leyja, earlier this month.
The Neom project will contain 10 regions in total, including an octagon-shaped port city named Oxagon, the mirrored mega-city The Line and an island resort called Sindalah.
The project has been criticised on human rights grounds, including by human rights organisation ALQST which reported that three men were sentenced to death after being "forcibly evicted" from the Neom site.
Earlier this year experts from the UN Human Rights Council expressed "alarm" over the imminent executions. Saudi Arabia responded to the UN by denying abuses had taken place.