Claudio Santucci, Cristiana Picco + Florian Boje, of Giò Forma Studio UltraMirror is known for its durability it is designed to withstand corrosion and stand up to chemicals and clouding. The firm locally manufactured an exterior mirror based on its UltraMirror interior glass solution. We are proud to have contributed to this Guinness World Record.” Massimo Fogliati of Black Engineering Jasmin Hodzic, AME Marketing Director at Guardian Glass, adds: “The mirrored glass façade of the building captures the essence and mystery of the Al-‘Ula valley. The architectural functions, concert hall, art pavilion and restaurants became more mysterious than obvious,” Boje concludes. The mirrored volume dialogues and ‘flirts’ with dramatic rocks and skies. “The pure shape of the well-proportioned cubic volume with minor subtractions was the most obvious shape for us. In Al-‘Ula, tomb buildings and natural stone shelters are both crafted by subtraction so human sculpting or natural forces, erosion, are the traditional design tools,” he says. “We learned a lot from the natural landscape and the Nabataean architecture. We also understood that Al-‘Ula deserves a unique architectural attitude and so we decided to create ‘Land- Art-Architecture’ – thereby also creating a new genre or terminology. He explains: “The mirror concept was born from that conclusion. “After looking into the landscape, history and architecture of Al-‘Ula, I did a sketch and instinctively wrote on it: ‘Nothing visible should be built here’.” We had to investigate deeply and had to pioneer unexplored solutions to get the surfaces flush and reflective. He adds: “Over the years we have experimented a lot with mirrors, but doing this giant, outdoors and in the desert, was something challenging. “ So the first challenge was to make sure we were doing the ‘right thing’,” says Boje. We shared this task and decision with the RCU team. “Well, building a mirror cube as ‘the’ landmark for Al-‘Ula was a big responsibility. The cladding is the first of its kind and was developed specifically for the project by Guardian Glass. Maraya Concert Hall’s unique design promises to contribute significantly to Saudi Arabia’s tourism drive.Ĭompleted in 2018, the building uses its mirror cladding to generate a mirage-like impression of its surrounding environment. The site has been a popular one for artists and architects, dating back to the Nabataean civilisation. Famous Moroccan singer Aziza Jalal and Italy’s Andrea Bocelli have both performed in the state-of-the-art performance centre. The project is already generating global interest. The stunning public building, whose name means ‘mirror’ in English, was commissioned by the Royal Commission of Al-‘Ula (RCU). 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.
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