Al Faya Lodge

A desert landscape Al Faya Lodge in Sharjah has stayed true to its desert roots

By: Romit Chakravarty and Duncan Denley

Located along the rugged transition between the Arabian desert and Hajar mountains in the Emirate of Sharjah, Al Faya Lodge encompasses an exclusive boutique hotel, spa and restaurant which combines desert wilderness with a certain understated luxury. The hugely-challenging and exposed local environment is defined by the majestic Hajar mountain range which rise like shark’s teeth from the sands of the Arabian desert, draping their serrated shadows over the lodge each morning. Combined with views over the rolling dune-scape to the West, the site of the Lodge has a distinct drama and presence which is hugely captivating. Shorooq’s bold decision to convert existing buildings bisected by a desert road into a visitor attraction was as bold as it was inspired. Partnering with Dubai and London-based Architects, Anarchitect, desert INK was commissioned to manage the lodge’s external interface with this unique environment. From the outset, desert INK recognized that any landscape intervention to address the three visitor components must work in harmony with the desert setting and not attempt to materially change the character of the area. In such a distinct setting, nothing could look more alien than a sudden explosion of green lawns, lush trees and polished granite, so desert INK pitched the concept of utilizing locally-sourced materials to enhance, not contradict the existing site’s character. Collaborating with the Architect and client, a concept soon emerged which drew inspiration from roadside motels found in Arizona and New Mexico. A small boutique hotel would occupy one existing building, complemented by a new-build spa and pool courtyard carved into a dune. The opposing existing building shell would be developed into an up-scale diner catering for guests and visitors passing through on the road between.

Rather than attempting to soften, or tone-down the rugged setting with extravagant planting, desert INK sought to celebrate the desert and mountain setting, welcoming it into the property and framing its rich earthy tones within the site. Managing Director, Duncan Denley expands; “Being from all over the world, the desert INK team are in love with the desert and mountains of our adopted home. The dunes and mountains hold an exotic fascination for us, because our home environments are so different. I believe this is what drives us to so frequently draw inspiration and materials from our setting”. With these principles in mind, the team constructed a design which utilizes locally-sourced materials applied in a contemporary manner. Stone from the adjacent hillsides was stacked into gabion baskets to create a series of platforms for fire-places, seating, parking and dining. Meanwhile, the same stone was crushed and combined with a reinforcement mesh to create surfacing for the car park and pathways. With weathered steel a key component of the architecture, this wonderfully rich material was likewise threaded through the landscape in the form of retaining walls slicing through sand dunes, furniture and paving edgings. The deep rust colour of

the metal perfectly harmonizes with the rich arranges of the desert sand and equally with the browns of the mountains ascending behind the site. A striking, yet simple use of the material was employed at the entrance to the spa, where a pair of metal retaining walls slice a narrow passage through the dune to reveal the entrance to the spa. This narrow passage builds the mystery and seclusion to discover what lies within the dune. Upon passing through the door, visitors are rewarded to find a walled courtyard, with expansive views to the West framed by a series of fall weathered steel

shutters. Keeping true to the ‘less is more’ principle, the design seeks to carve out geometric spaces from the fluid geometries of the sweeping desert and mountains. One such space is the west-facing sunken fire pit court, which extends a rectilinear, gravel-filled terrace retained by gabion baskets over undulating natural landscape, offering perfect views of the setting sun.

While the hard landscape is striking, it is with the soft landscape that desert INK has really taken a departure from the region’s typical design approach. “Upon visiting the site, we came upon occasional bushes growing on sand dunes and between rocky outcrops naturally. The only source of water for these plants was rain which is very limited in the region, yet they were surviving well. With the growing need for drought tolerant species in our region, these plants were our starting point for our project plant palette.” Comments, William Bennett, Senior Landscape Architect on the project. Lead designer, Swati Noble takes up the story “one of the biggest success of this project was the use of native and adaptive plants around the site. Many species being planted in a commercial setting for the first time. This was extremely exciting for us because it set a benchmark to demonstrate that these plants can look stunning and at home in a designed context, are extremely resilient, and consume almost no irrigation.” Seed from native plants was collected and germinated to provide drifts of planting at strategic points. Using indigenous shrubs such as the Convolvulus virigatus helped in creating sweeps of low density planting interspersed with dunes and boulders. Towards the buildings several adaptive species were used to create accents, particularly succulents like Aloe vera. desert INK likewise aimed to test new approaches in terms of irrigation for native species. Adopting an unconventional approach, the team decided to move away from the standard drip irrigation for shrubs and groundcovers. Instead the design implements a sprinkler system which sprays water occasionally allowing the natural germination of native seeds in the surrounding soil. This approach allows for a ‘crescendo’ effect, where the sparse desert gradually becomes marginally greener towards the buildings without any clearly defined lines or boundaries. “Desert Group has always been a proponent of pioneering innovative practices in the landscape industry in the Middle East. With a growing need to reduce the consumption of irrigation water and adopt draught tolerant plants, the team at Desert Group is taking strides into experimenting and propagating native species

that are well adapted to the region.” Comments Michael Mascarenhas, CEO, Desert Group. Mascarenhas continues, “Wahat Al Sahraa, sister company of desert INK, operates the largest plant nursery in the Middle East which has been instrumental in desert INK’s quest to ‘go native’. Comprising of a team of expert growers who have identified plants from, or best suited to the region, the nurseries team are leading the charge towards native and adaptive plants. We ensure that they provide a feedback loop to desert INK and other sister companies which allows all of us to select drought tolerant shrubs like Aerva javanica, Convolvulus virigatus, Cenchrus ciliaris etc. which actually provide the lush effect, yet require a fraction of the water.” Being fabricated from the surrounding materials, the resulting composition feels at home in the setting, while its rectilinear geometry retains a fiercely contemporary character. This use of locally-appropriate materials and planting not only sits comfortably within the setting, but is inherently sustainable. In terms of carbon footprint, and resilience to the harsh climate, this simple palette of materials out-performs any combination of imported materials. Since opening in 2018, the hotel and diner are now attracting visitors keen to enjoy the wild setting without sacrificing the comforts and simple sophistication associated with a boutique hotel. Guests now enjoy fireside dinners overlooking the majestic dunes, while it has likewise become popular with motorcyclists on day trips into the mountains.

Photography: Fernando Guerra Architecture and Interior Design: ANARCHITECT

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