Foster + Partners have shared their new design for the Coral Bloom resort project on Shurayrah island in the Red Sea. Launched by his Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Chairman of The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), the design aims to become one of the world's world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism projects. Made to blend in with the natural environment, the development creates a new vision for Shurayrah.
As the team explain, biodiversity considerations are at the heart of the project, with the plan designed to avoid disruption of the island’s mangroves and other habitats, as well as include new habitats created through landscaping. The proposal also outlines designs for the island’s 11 hotels that will be immersed into the landscape to effectively form part of the sweeping dunes.
Gerard Evenden, Head of Studio at Foster + Partners, said: “Our vision for Shurayrah is inspired by the island’s natural state, with the hotels designed to give the impression that they have washed up on the beaches and nestled among the dunes almost like driftwood. The materials we use are low impact and ensure that the pristine environment is protected, while the additions we make to the island serve to enhance what is already there – hence the name, Coral Bloom.”
The project will include a series of new beaches, as well as the resorts themselves being created using lightweight materials with a low thermal mass and manufactured offsite. The entire destination will be powered by renewables and will be "underpinned by the largest battery storage system in the world."
News via Foster + Partners
