Tilal Liwa Desert Hotel, Empty Quarter

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Architect: DSA Architects International
Client: Roya
Location: Madinat Zayed, Empty Quarter

THE PROJECT

The Tilal Liwa Desert Hotel on the edge of Rub-Al-Khali desert opened to guests in January after a speedy 11 months development. The hotel is situated some two hours from Abu Dhabi in the Empty Quarter and consists of 120 guest rooms on a 40,500m2 site, as well as a restaurant, health club and conference facilities. The hotel is next to the annual camel festival site, and walking distance from both the race track and camel paddock. Developed by Roya and designed by DSA Architects, the building’s interiors were designed by Dubai-based firm WAi.

THE SITE

The site is about 240 km from Dubai and 150 km from Abu Dhabi. The architects were able to choose any site they liked in the desert that surrounds the camel festival site, which is little more than a few fences and a camp site. “It was just a desert, there was nothing there,” explained architect Len Grundlingh. “We had the whole desert to choose from.”

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THE CONCEPT

The site on the edge of the camel racetrack has long been a meeting point for locals, drawn to the annual camel festival and beauty contest. In traditional desert forts caravans one would arrive through the front gate and proceed to the courtyard, where camels would sleep downstairs and their owners upstairs. While the camels are kept strictly outside the hotel walls at Tilal Liwa, the system of courtyards and main gate have remained. While maintaining the façade of a traditional fort, DSA were keen to provide a link between the building and the desert, and views onto the sand are paramount through the liwans.

THE DETAILS

The major elements of the hotel are arranged around courtyards, as in traditional desert hotels. The proportion, geometry and placement of the courtyards were designed to reflect the traditional courtyard in Islamic architecture, each providing a sense of procession from one to another establishing a hierarchy and progression prevalent in Arab traditional culture and the architecture of the region.

The designers were keen to maintain a clear line of site through the courtyards and out into the wild desert. An infinity pool backs onto a line of arches and then straight onto the sand, from the pool and restaurant guests are able to see camels being led from the paddock.

The architecture was intended to imitate the traditional buildings of the UAE, and specifically the round towers and high walls of the forts in cities such as Al Ain. Thick walls and small windows have the added benefit of keeping out the heat in the hotter months, cutting down on air-conditioning costs. The design was something of a new departure for DSA, Grundlingh explained. “It’s a lot more basic, very low in plan, almost Spartan. We had to strike a balance between looking great and keeping costs relatively low,” he said.

The main lobby of the hotel is sky lighted and overlooks the dramatic courtyard, which makes use of palm trees for style and shade. The interiors of the building were designed to reflect the traditional luxury of an Arab fort, with low lighting, water features and views to the courtyard.

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