Artdaily_AL ULA.- An international jury, led by Royal College of Art Dean of Architecture Adrian Lahoud, has shortlisted ten architect-artist teams to create proposals for a one-off, contemporary dwelling in the desert of the AlUla region
in Saudi Arabia. The competition was open to emerging architects and creative practitioners.

The SCULPTING SPACES – Architectural Desert Dwellings for AlUla project is an initiative of The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), whose mission is to protect and safeguard this area of outstanding natural and cultural significance.

AlUla’s history stretches back millennia. Inspired by the region’s significance as a bustling centre of intercultural exchange and creative ingenuity, the RCU is inviting an international community of creative pioneers, across disciplines and continents, to come together to deliver the overarching vision of making AlUla ‘a destination built by artists’. The RCU is working with local and international experts in archaeology, heritage conservation and preservation, architecture and masterplanning to deliver an environmentally and historically sensitive transformation of AlUla, of which the Sculpting Spaces programme will form a key part.

The ten proposals, which have been shortlisted from a long list of 40, will be exhibited at 21,39 Jeddah Arts, the annual art fair. Each will be installed in its own bespoke room within the fair, allowing for the ultimate in immersive display. Proposals range from the desert rock-shaped cabin by Japanese team Yu Momoeda and Kohei Sasahara, to British practice AYA + Ajlan Gharem’s Desert Plinth and sculpture garden. The latter absorb every drop of desert rain and dew, storing the water in a cistern below the dwelling to create an eternal oasis.

Annette Gibbons-Warren, (Acting) Cultural Planning and Governance Director, comments:
“This first iteration of the Sculpting Spaces project is an unforgettable journey. The proposals by our shortlisted teams of architects and artists have inspired us to view AlUla’s extraordinary landscape afresh. We are delighted that the process has demonstrated just how we can realise our vision of AlUla as a destination built by artists.”

Technical requirements specified that each dwelling design should be a free-standing, single structure that incorporates a construction methodology driven by buildability, with a minimal impact on the landscape. The overall height of the structure could not exceed 5 m, with a maximum of 60 sqm / 600 sq ft of internal space and include one bedroom and bathroom, a living space that allows for private dining, a terrace that provides shade and an open star-viewing platform. The brief also specified that the lodging should be a semi-permanent structure with an expected lifespan of at least 10 years. The building should be able to mitigate the extreme temperatures of the Saudi desert, incorporating innovative, energy-saving green technologies, specifically sustainable cooling strategies.

Once the winning design has been selected, the intention is to work with international collaborators to decide on the best way to continue to evolve the project. Looking to the future, Annette Gibbons-Warren comments:

“We are excited by where we can take this project next – working closely with architects and artists to create uniquely memorable dwellings that can only be experienced in AlUla. One idea is to run Sculpting Spaces as an annual competition, thus building up a portfolio of exceptional art- architecture interventions in AlUla’s desertscape.”

Ultimately the aim will be to open these dwellings to visitors, allowing them to experience overnight stays at this evolving cultural crossroads, where art, heritage and nature meet