The Elevated Palace | Riyadh Hotel Competition

The Wadi Hanifa valley and the existing palace grounds possess a set of unique qualities which may be described as the “cosmic landscape”, where nature’s cause and effect are made evident. With a desire to respond to both the natural beauty and the harsh local climate, as well as the architectural heritage of the existing palace, pro­grammatic interventions are either buried or inserted within the existing palace shell, while the majority of the pal­ace grounds and sightlines to the existing palace remain unaltered. Neri&Hu redefines the edge condition of the existing Palace site through careful placement of a walled architecture in the surroundings, embedded within the natural cliffside of the wadi. Much like the ancient civic archetype of the Acropolis, this approach elevates the palace, strengthening its status as an unmistakable icon and cultural symbol for the city of Riyadh.