Tag Archives: mountain

NEOM Siranna resort hotel looks like a fantasy castle carved from a mountainside

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When people speak of hotels, they probably think of towering buildings in the middle of cities or near beaches and tourist hot spots. Few will probably imagine one built on desert landscapes, surrounded by imposing mountains on one end and a sea on the other. They probably wouldn’t even be able to imagine how the hotel would be composed of towering spires that seem to be made from the very same rock as the mountains. That combination of elements, however, is exactly what NEOM’s latest ambitious project is proposing, creating a picturesque tourism escape that resembles fantasy or sci-fi fortresses built from mountains, which is actually also the blueprint for this hotel and residence dream.

Designer: NEOM

Imagine riding a boat across a sea and gazing at an imposing mountain range across the horizon. As you near the coast, you notice what seem to be stone pillars rising from the ground, their shadows during the day and lights at night casting an almost otherworldly atmosphere around them. This majestic view is actually your destination, and that’s the kind of adventure that the Siranna is meant to offer, a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and a journey into an ultra-luxurious and dreamy location where sea, mountains, and wadi intersect.

To be built on the Gulf of Aqaba coastline in Saudi Arabia, the Siranna is a complex that will be home to a 65-key hotel and 35 exclusive residences that promise top-of-the-line resort amenities, from beach clubs to spas to wellness facilities. Despite the seemingly dry environment, the experience will also include outdoor adventures, whether on foot or on horseback, to explore the awe-inspiring landscapes that surround this man-made structure. Even the way you get to Siranna will be a breathtaking journey that starts with a boat ride to a secluded bay and then a trek through the mountain’s natural rock formations before finally reaching the property.

The design of the architecture is quite unique and distinctive, with hexagonal pillars that make up both the vertical buildings as well as horizontal spaces. The towers have a single window that runs through the height of the pillar, resulting in a rather striking vertical pattern of lights at night. If you’ve ever seen fictional cities or castles built on the side of mountains, this rather unusual space definitely fits the bill.

Just as unusual as its design is the actual construction of Siranna, intended to support sustainable living and conservation at the same time. The hotel is almost literally carved into the mountainside, allowing it to seamlessly blend with its surroundings while also minimizing intervention in nature and preserving the surrounding landscape. In an age where skyscrapers are eating up the land and blocking the skies for the sake of human convenience, the NEOM Siranna represents an escape not only from the mundane but also from the devastation we inflict on the planet.

The post NEOM Siranna resort hotel looks like a fantasy castle carved from a mountainside first appeared on Yanko Design.

Don’t eat Cheetos while gaming with this lightweight ‘hollow’ mouse

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The Makalu 67 is an incredibly lightweight gaming mouse that weighs a mere 67 grams, thanks to its unique ‘ribcage’ outer body. However, it’s also notoriously difficult to clean if you’re the kind to snack on stuff while you game. The mouse’s outer shell comes with a grille-like design that helps provide strength while reducing mass… and I’ll say, it’s definitely really unique looking.

Designed and calibrated for hardcore gamers who want their gear to be as lightweight/maneuverable as possible (while being durable too), the Makalu 67 comes from MOUNTAIN, a tech company known for their gaming gear. Most mice come with organic, ergonomic, monolithic designs, but the Makalu 67 breaks that with a body that’s parametrically perforated to provide strength with less material. Just like a ribcage protects your vital organs without necessarily being one massive block of bone, Makalu 67’s ‘ribcage’ design conceals the tech within, while reducing a significant amount of material.

The Makalu 67 comes with a PAW3370 sensor for high accuracy, offering up to 19000 DPI, with the ability to change the resolution too, using a button right at the top. An RGB ring around the scroll lets you easily customize your mouse’s aesthetic, choosing from up to 16.7 million RBG colors. However, that patented ribcage design is perhaps its most standout element. Not only does it allow the mouse to be lightweight, it keeps your hands cool while you game too, allowing air to flow across your palms so they never get sweaty. The only problem is accidentally using the mouse with dirty or wet hands, and then being left with something that’s virtually impossible to clean. That means no Cheetos, Doritos, or Pringles around this bad-boy… and it’s best if you kept your beer or soft-drink away from it too. If the price for that sacrifice is a better gaming experience with more kills/victories, I think a bunch of gamers would be willing to make that sacrifice.

Designer: MOUNTAIN

This pelican-beak restaurant overlooks a cliff with an absolutely stunning view

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It’s probably because I haven’t traveled around a lot in the past year and a half, but Thilina Liyanage‘s renders are looking increasingly realistic and awe-striking… and I can’t blame myself for feeling that rather lost feeling of wanderlust. Sri Lanka-based Liyanage’s been responsible for creating some of the most awe-striking architectural designs that relate beautifully to their surroundings – like a jagged cabin sitting upon a rocky beach, or a goldfish-shaped bar overlooking an ocean. This time, Liyanage’s design gives you a birds-eye view of a valley, while being shaped like a bird’s beak!

The Sky Restaurants, as they’re called, cantilever off the precipice of a mountain, giving you a certain thrill as you dine. Its design takes cues from a pitcher-plant, using a boat-like base that projects from the slope, with a slightly raised roof to protect you from the elements while also giving you a stunning view of the mountainous terrain in front of and below you. Like a lot of Liyanage’s designs, the Sky Restaurant uses curved bamboo pieces, giving it a distinctly tropical feeling that does set up a contrast against the mountains… but then again, look at it from above and it almost looks like fairy-lights strung around the mountain!

Designer: Thilina Liyanage

This geometric wooden cabin is perfect for a socially distant getaway!

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Log cabins are to Norway like fjords are to its mountains. You expect to see it: the stacks of brown timber that build up age-old cabins, dotting the valleys below monolithic mountain ranges. They’re the kind of homes that work in tandem with their environment, almost appearing synergistically with the mountain that encompasses them. The Diamanten Cabin, or, “The Diamond,” designed and constructed by A38 Arkitekter, doesn’t disrupt that synergy, but seamlessly cycles itself into it, like a cogwheel clicking into the grooves of another and rotating.

The Diamanten Cabin, which is positioned atop a cylindrical support pillar in Oppdal, Norway, was constructed within its mountainous, pre-existing framework. The architects with A38 Arkitekter centralized environmental harmony in designing their winter annex; adjacent log cabins punctuate corners of the valley where the diamond-shaped cabin perks. The final structure is visually enigmatic, but chameleon-like in its commitment to reinvigorating, yet respecting the community to which it belongs. Nestled nearby traditionally vibrant timber cabins, the Diamanten Cabin is unassuming in size, with a total of only a single, open room.

However, The Diamanten’s artistry is found not in its size, but in the way it appeals to the landscape and vernacular structures that cradle it. The frame of the cabin is structured so that the roof cascades gracefully in the direction of the massive mountain that frames its larger community. The cabin’s transparent pitched roof provides a vista point for the expansive valley’s horizon that rests just ahead of it. The minimal, yet sturdy cylindrical foundation emphasizes the designer’s devotion to environmental harmony as the single-room home borrows minimal physical space in its conception, maintaining the natural state of the surrounding land.

Reimagining something as iconic as the log cabin is no easy feat. One might describe The Diamanten as a modern, minimalist take on the original, simpler cabin, but it remains and thrives as something completely on its own. The Diamond might not assume singularity the same way classic log cabins have for centuries, but it reignites the possibilities of what it could look like. Just ahead and to the right of time-honored log cabins of yesterday, rests the Diamanten, offering innovation in structure and design from an exciting, fresh vantage point. Off lofty, full-length windows reflects an enlivened and crystal clear vision of Oppdal, Norway’s limitless horizons and it gleams, making it a perfect getaway for a socially distant getaway!

Designers: A38 Arkitekter