A new district has been unveiled for Saudi Arabia’s Neom programme, which will be embedded within the 450m-tall mountain range next to the Gulf of Aqaba’s coastline.
Aquellum is an “ultra-luxury upside down skyscraper” measuring 100m tall that is located inside a mountain according to a promotional video for the project featuring Tobias Wallisser and Alexander Rieck from the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture and Nathalie Rozencwajg from Name Architecture.
The development’s facades face inwards as opposed to outwards, with visitors entering Aquellum via the world’s first floating marina on a specially designed vessel through a concealed underground canal in the rock face.
Emerging into an “underwater open square”, Aquellum will contain residencies, hotels, cinemas, museums and research space called “The Generator”.
Areas will be linked by an omnidirectional internal transit system via a central spine called the boulevard will link the amenities.
The district will be topped by a “cloud garden” which is on top of the mountain.
Plans were recently announced for three other Neom resorts, the Norlana area, a 3,000 resident sports and wellbeing space, the Epicon district, which contains two giant towers that rise in the desert like a “mirage” and the Siranna development, to be formed of hexagonal pillars inspired by the Gulf of Aqaba’s rugged terrain.
Further Reading:
