Shebara Resort

Shebara Hotel is a 73 key hyper luxury resort located on the uninhabited Shaybara Island located 45-minutes by boat from the mainland. The site is home to a highly diverse environment with dense mangroves, desert flora, white sand dunes beaches, coral flats and sea grass, and some of the most beautiful and pristine coral reefs in the world hosting many species of birds, fish and other marine animals. The primary goal of the project is how best to preserve and enhance the biodiversity fin the surrounding habitat while offering a luxurious experience that will attract visitors from around the globe and rebrand Saudi Arabia as a top tier marine eco-tourism destination.

Such a unique site presented unique challenges to the design team; how to design in a way that is sympathetic to a sensitive marine environment while still providing the ultimate form of luxury on a site that is completely off-grid. These unique challenges required the design team to generate a completely new typology of hospitality design.

The LEED-Platinum property seeks to minimise its environmental and literal environmental footprint by cantilevering the accommodation spaces above the coral reefs with only a few square meters of ground impact at the base of the supporting column. The result is an aerial accommodation ‘pod’ that almost seems to defy gravity and suspends the guest directly above and within the beauty of an untouched marine eco-system; an observation platform for guests to witness the fish, birds and turtles that thrive in the area.

The entire project is powered by a centralized solar farm and fresh water is supplied from a solar powered desalination plant. Recycling of waste material takes place on the island minimizing the need to bring or remove materials from the site. The entire infrastructural backbone of the project forms part of a visitor experience where guest can be exposed to and learn about the approach that goes into making the project a truly self-sustained human development.

The design language of the resort compliments the uniqueness of the site. The approach to the façade design has been to minimize visual impact, employing a highly reflective stainless-steel skin polished to a mirror finish. These reflective orbs float, almost imperceptible, reflecting the colors and surface patterns of the ocean, the intense colors of the sky as they change throughout the day. This approach serves to lessen the visual impact of the architecture on the surrounding environment while also greatly improv the building’s energy performance with a near 100% reflection of the solar gain at the mirror surface. These heavily insulated spaces can be effectively cooled with minimal energy losses.

The interior space of the project provides spacious room for the guests, with detailing, and finishes inspired by the interiors of luxury yachts. The room offers panoramic views to the sea with sliding doors that open to a deck, a seating area and an infinity pool with uninterrupted views of the sea and horizon beyond.