Featuring some 9740 square metres of custom-designed mirror glass, the cube-shaped structure in Hegra, Saudi Arabia is located 22 kilometres from Al-Hijr Archaeological Site, the Kingdom’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Giò Forma’s Italian-German group of Florian Boje, Cristiana Picco, and Claudio Santucci headed the architecture and design team, while Massimo Fogliati and Fabio Pavanetto of Black Engineering managed the project.
The stunning public building, whose name means ‘mirror’ in English, was commissioned by the Royal Commission of Al-‘Ula (RCU).
The project is already generating global interest. Famous Moroccan singer Aziza Jalal and Italy’s Andrea Bocelli have both performed in the state-of-the-art performance centre. The site has been a popular one for artists and architects, dating back to the Nabataean civilisation.
Maraya Concert Hall’s unique design promises to contribute significantly to Saudi Arabia’s tourism drive.
Completed in 2018, the building uses its mirror cladding to generate a mirage-like impression of its surrounding environment. The cladding is the first of its kind and was developed specifically for the project by Guardian Glass.
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