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Saudi megaproject Neom has unveiled designs for the Elanan Spa and Hotel, which will be built on a natural oasis in the Gulf of Aqaba as its latest development.
Designed by American studio Mark Foster Gage Architects, the Elanan resort has 80 rooms and suites as well as wellness facilities.
It will be built on a natural oasis and fed by natural spring water, giving people the feeling of being in a “secret garden.”
“Ellanan is a resort on the Gulf of Aqaba, set in a beautiful natural setting, almost like a secret garden,” said Marc Foster, founder of Marc Foster Gage Architects ·Gage said.
“You see this cube popping out of the top of the tree. You wonder what this incredible place is. Once you step through that door, you enter another world,” he continued.
“Architecture and nature come together to form something more beautiful than either alone.”
The resort will have hotel towers, villas and a golden observation tower surrounded by numerous swimming pools. At the center of the resort will be two large swimming pools connected by waterfalls.
According to the studio, the resort is designed to include a series of spaces for visitors to explore.
“As you approach Ellanan, you’ll see a gleaming golden tower rising behind the dunes,” said architect Bashaye Bamson of Mark Foster Gage.
“As you get closer to it, the golden exterior starts to show. It’s not immediately apparent as visitors go through a journey of discovering a variety of experiences.”
Elanan is the latest hotel development revealed by Neom and will be built along the Gulf of Aqaba in northeastern Saudi Arabia.
Following Xaynor, which will be designed as an “ultimate members’ club” by Mexican studio Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos and an “exclusive sanctuary resort” by Dutch studio OMA.
Also planned for the coast are an “upside-down skyscraper” called Aquellum, the Leyja luxury hotel, the hexagonal-pillar hotel Siranna, the jagged skyscraper Epicon, Utamo designed by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura and the coastal yachting town of Norlana.
The projects are part of the wider Neom development, one of the largest and most controversial developments in the world. It will include a 170-kilometer-long city called “The Line,” an octagonal port city designed by Danish studio BIG and a ski resort called Trojena.
The plan has been criticized by human rights groups, including ALQST, which reported that three men were sentenced to death after being “forcibly evicted” from the Neom site. Last year, experts at the United Nations Human Rights Council expressed “shock” at the impending executions. Saudi Arabia responded to the United Nations by denying that abuses had occurred.
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