Jeddah Shangri-La Tower

The Shangri-La Hotel occupies a prominent site in an emerging part of Jeddah, along the Corniche directly on the Red Sea. The elegant, slender tower is set perpendicular to the shoreline to maximize views to the water, with generous balconies that create an open quality to encourage indoor/outdoor experiences for guests and residents. The design is inspired by a thoughtful consideration of context, climate and culture to create a world-class hospitality and residential environment on the Red Sea. The design blends a mixture of luxury hotel functions, serviced apartments and condominiums, organized as a continuous ribbon of spaces, oriented to maximize views of the water, and stacked so that balcony size, and privacy, increase with height. The gradual deepening of exterior spaces as they rise through the building allows for the extension of indoor living to the exterior in good weather, while also limiting harsh effects of sun and wind. This open, porous quality, unlike most of the glass-skinned towers in the region, is inspired by the heritage of ‘mashrabiya’ screens in the old city of Jeddah, re-invented for 21st century living and addressing 21st century climate conditions.