Desert Rock immerses visitors in an implausibly fantastical environment

At first glance, images of Desert Rock might be taken for products of AI image generator Midjourney. There’s something implausibly fantastical about a warren of high-spec cave-bedrooms bored through the Hejaz Mountains of Saudi Arabia, spilling onto azure plunge pools, jutting from rocky faces like birds’ nests, high above the desert plain. 

But they are real enough, and the luxury resort designed by New York-based Oppenheim Architecture for gigadeveloper Red Sea Global recently opened to guests.

Visitors enter a ‘hidden valley’, where the components of the 30,000m² complex – 54 villas, 10 suites and sundry spas and restaurants – are composed to immerse visitors in the landscape. 

‘The design emerged from a comprehensive understanding of the valley’s geography and the desire to blend luxury with nature,’ says architect Timothy Archambault. At ground level, angular villas are in conjoined groups of two or three, formed in concrete in colours and textures that echo the rugged terrain. 

Angular, pitched-roofed ‘cliffhanging villas’ are set into ravines in the side of the massif. And the suites are carved into the mountain itself, with glazed, arched openings in a chain across a sheer face. 

Access is via a long tunnel. There is a deliberate evocation here of the rock-carved architecture of the Nabataeans, ancient inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula.

Excavation, as well as the elevation and remote location, created the principal challenges, says the architect. Though resource-intensive, Oppenheim emphasises a concern for sustainability: excavation spoil was reused, and passive cooling integrated. 

‘By combining luxury, sustainability and cultural engagement,’ says Archambault, ‘the resort aligns with global trends toward responsible tourism, setting a benchmark for future hotel developments in similarly sensitive environments.’