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Hegra Viewpoints
Innovation, at its core, is born from tradition—drawing upon cultural memory while embracing contemporary thought. At the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hegra in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, Clover Studio’s series of architectural interventions embody this synthesis. Their landscape pavilions reflect a deep sensitivity to the site’s ecology, heritage, and terrain—translating the elemental rhythm of desert life into architectural form. Commissioned by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and developed in collaboration with destination specialists Extreme International, the project pays homage to the ancient Nabataean civilization through a contemporary reinterpretation of the Bedouin tent, creating ephemeral structures that offer visitors a distinct, safari-inspired experience within the region’s wildlife reserve.
Set against a backdrop of sculpted sandstone formations, each pale, tent-like volume emerges in solitude—at once mysterious and inviting. These structures prompt a renewed dialogue between architecture and landscape, inviting visitors to reconsider the cultural richness and layered history of the land. In response to the region’s harsh winds and dramatic topography, the pavilions were conceived as lightweight and fully demountable—ensuring zero long-term impact on the delicate terrain. While traditional Bedouin tents were constructed using goat-hair fabric and palm-frond posts, Clover Studio reimagines these nomadic archetypes through monolithic curved walls draped in tensile fabric. The gesture is at once familiar and new, yielding silhouettes that seamlessly blend into the ochre and gold hues of the desert. Each curved wall is formed from a timber and steel substructure, filled with locally sourced stone to reduce material transport and eliminate the need for foundations. A protective render coats the exterior to withstand winter storms. Over time, the natural canvas stretched across these structures gradually fades in the desert sun, adopting a weathered, bone-like patina that echoes the fossilized remains of desert life—subtly contrasting yet harmonizing with the surrounding geology.
Three viewing points are strategically positioned across the site, each functioning as a shaded waypoint along a larger wildlife and nature tour. While all adopt a curved architectural language, the most prominent structure introduces a cylindrical tower—anchoring the tent form and offering a moment of vertical ascent. Visitors first pass through a narrow, dimly lit entrance to a shaded space, where they are welcomed with refreshments and interpretive displays printed on raw aluminum panels. A spiral staircase then leads upward into a burst of daylight and an unobstructed 360-degree panorama of the expansive terrain. Here, architecture becomes both vessel and vantage—an experiential narrative that heightens one’s understanding of Hegra through spatial rhythm and storytelling, immersive encounter with the desert—one that is as respectful as it is revelatory.
