Abraj Kudai is to become the world's largest hotel located in Makkah, Saudi Arabia and upon completion, will offer 10,000 rooms in 12 separate towers. [...]
The Saudi Binladin Group holds the main construction contract, and work on the $3.5 billion hospitality project has already started. [...]
The architecture is set to create an iconic landmark that will reflect a contemporary interpretation of a traditional desert fortress.
— constructionweekonline.com
41 Comments
Valid point from a commenter on ArabianBusiness.com:
'Royal floors' in Mecca. I thought Hajj is an example of how rich and poor had no difference in front of God. It seems we are hell bound on turning it into cash cow....
Im sure living there must be a blast. Duh!
Oh c'mon. I can imagine much worse than that.
Like if Gehry had done it, or Zaha, or Eisenman, or ....
but gotta love the multiple rooftop helipads.
better to burn-out than fade away....
These projects have a tendency to change hands a lot. It is likely to end up being something completely different.
Im sure it will cost a Bomb. Duh!
very contextual!
Great location to host the next draw-mohamed cartoonist convention.
Thank you for finding that quote, Alexander. I also stumbled at the "royal floors" idea; isn't the goal to erase that stratification?
On the other hand this quote struck me: "all roofed under what will become one of the largest domes in the world." If you're designing the world's biggest hotel why not go all the way and do THE biggest dome?
Donna please! Everything in proportion.
its like vegas without all the fun.
Do you think you can check in from the rooftop helipad? I'd hate to have to go all the way down to the lobby and rub shoulders with the filthy commoners.
What do you expect from the "binladen group"... Word is they really don't like modernism
"... without all the fun" ?
C'mon, they've had like 85 beheadings already this year in Saudi Arabia - AND that Dome on a shaft is looking - p r e t t y much like a penis.
Put a little Zaha stadium next to it - hmmm. Hmmmm? Wink wink. Nudge nudge. KnowwahtImean? Hmmm? Zaha stadium.
Some legit questions:
Is it clad in quarried stone or EIFS?
Are the roofs hammered copper or standing seam in green?
Is the dome ornamentation glittering mosaic or paint?
If you're going big, go big, is all I'm saying. If I landed there and saw a painted standing seam roof under my helipad I'd be like "Cheezy and cheeeeeeap!"
Menona, they are looking for applicants for new executioners. Apparently their top beheader makes a cool $1k per head... and that's only part-time!
Donna, would you be OK is the standing-seam roof came with solid gold furring channels?
I agree that is gross but, are we that much better than the Saudis, including the death by semi-lethal injections?
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/upcoming-executions
My scimitar is in the shop. But I may look into it.
$1K for what, like 5 seconds work? I don't know what that works out to per hour, but I think it's pretty good.
Should have hired BIG to create some kind of dubious logo-tecture.
the stone should be sourced from Mars if you are going to donit right.
Non Sequitur, if you're doing gold channels you can't also do copper due to galvanic action* deteriorating the metals, therefore the entire roof should be gold. Duh, haven't you read SMACNA?
*made-up science
Donna... I am surprised you fall for the "Big Metal" propaganda. Dissimilar metal theory is just an excuse to get us to specify what they want us to specify.
Is it bad that I wrote my gold channel comment totally expecting a galvanic action reply.
Orhan, that tower needs more helipads. A green roof would not be a bad idea too.
NonSeq, if galvanic action was in your head when you made that comment, then you are a smart architect.
The Anodic index of gold is 0, which means that it doesn't react with anything.
Except politicians and hookers.
Got it Miles, I'll refrain from specifying zinc fasteners for my solid gold channels.
LOL Miles that's why I said "made-up science" - I knew galvanic action exists but didn't think gold would be a factor....except as you say to politicians (and hookers but that's redundant).
This whole project seems like a gas. Wink Wink
Ohran has a point ;) It could be a lot worse.
^ true, instead of the rectilinear buildings on either side of that central penis tower, there could have been 2 domes....#cockandballs
Read the article, jla-x.
Note: those two round towers are the 5-star hotel, the rest of it is only 4-star.
Oh boy.
Sigmund Freud's ashes are knocking on their urn trying to get out - "I have something to say! Guys! I have something to say!"
Now if you show this building a picture of a woman's ankles does it grow an extra 40 storeys?
Dear Internet, I apologize for the low-level of the discourse.
So... not ok to draw a cartoon of one guy... but ok to put an enormous phallus in the holiest site in the religion? Um. Uh.
I just don't understand people.
Dear Internet, I apologize for the low-level of the discourse.
So do I, Menona. I'm having a very dull day at work today.
the penthouse suite is in the cock top.
At least it's circumcised to reduce maintenance requirements. I can't imagine the pain and cost attributed just to clean all that sand from the base of the dome.
I'll be here all day folks.
The real question is what firms if any turned this down, and the firms that are working on it will they get paid?
I will take their money and donate some of it to NOW or GLAD or other worthy charities if I had this cash cow on my drafting boards.
Symmetrical design means you only have to do half the design work for one building.
Over and OUT
Peter N
damn....must of been one of those RFP's i thought was a scam.......
A symmetrical body means you only have to look at half the person.
Mid-century revival means you only need to detail one window.
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