Foster + Partners has won an international competition for a new luxury hotel and apartment complex located just outside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Borrowing from traditional Arab architecture and the area?s mountainous terrain, the mixed-use development will take the form of a cluster of vertical building clusters, arranged in a stepped topography.

Courtesy of Foster + Partners

Foster + Partners has won an international competition for a new luxury hotel and apartment complex located just outside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Borrowing from traditional Arab architecture and the area?s mountainous terrain, the mixed-use development will take the form of a cluster of vertical building clusters, arranged in a stepped topography.
Courtesy of Foster + Partners

?Makkah is one of the most unique cities in the world,? said Luke Fox, Head of Studio and Senior Executive Partner, Foster + Partners. ?As the home of the Holy Kaaba - the holiest site in Islam - it presents a special challenge and honour for any developer and architect. Our design sets out to create an innovative building form that will be respectful to the scale and importance of the Grand Mosque.?

Courtesy of Foster + Partners

Addressing the shortage of accommodation options for visitors to the mosque, the project will maximize the number of rooms with views out towards the Holy Kaa...