EOLIOS collaborates with Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Terrell for the SHAARAN project
Sharaan Hotel, Al-Ula Desert, Saudi Arabia, project : Jean Nouvel
The troglodytic habitat is, since prehistoric times, an architecture, rudimentary or sumptuous, present in various traditions consisting in the development of underground habitats or dug in the rock on the mountainside.
Thus, in the heart of the Al-Ula desert in Saudi Arabia, Jean Nouvel’s new project will take place. A region steeped in history, its pre-Islamic heritage is unknown to all but the archaeologists who multiply the excavations on its various sites.
It is within the framework of this exceptional project, led by the Jean Nouvel workshops, that we were able to carry out a global study of the site in order to characterize very precisely the aeraulics of the resort (micro climates of the site, internal air displacement, thermosiphon effects…) in order to define a global and unique strategy of natural ventilation with the objective of valorizing “the energy of the mountain”.
This unique project, at one with the elements of the mountain, inspired by and using the wind at its heart, is best described by Jean Nouvel himself.
A troglodyte hotel in a mountain in the desert:
Sharaan Hotel, Al-Ula Desert, Saudi Arabia, project: Jean Nouvel
Airflow at the heart of the project:
Following the example of troglodyte civilizations, the project is inspired by and uses natural thermo-aerodynamic phenomena to optimize its operation.
First thermo aeraulic studies of the site to understand the natural ventilation mechanism: EOLIOS
