HEGRA - Wildlife Experience

Typology
Exhibition Design and Graphics for a Safari-Style Nature expreince.

Client
Extreme International and The Royal Commision for AlUla.

Location
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Hegra, AlUla, KSA

Project Concept

The project was commissioned by The Royal Commission for AlUla, to develop viewpoints for a safari-style wildlife and nature experience in the wildlife reserve portion of the archaeological site. The temporary structures were designed to be lightweight and sensitive to the site and completely removable without any ground disturbance. Clover Studio designed the customer journey narrative and interventions in the landscape through storyboard sketches and a design process that combined architectural design, exhibition graphics and a spoken guided experience.

Design Approach

Each viewpoint reinterprets the language of the Bedouin tents of the ancient Nabatean people of Hegra, whose wildlife art covers the ancient rocks. Instead of using the fabric and palm tree posts of the Bedouin tents, these viewpoints use stretched fabric over monolithic curved walls, to create a novel but sympathetic silhouette externally and provide shade to those inside viewing the unique landscape.The three viewpoints frame specific views of nature in key habitat locations they also act as a story-telling tool for the guides. Each viewpoint is paired with exhibition-style boards (also designed by Clover Studio) which complement a guided narrative through the reserve.

Design Approach

Each viewpoint reinterprets the language of the Bedouin tents of the ancient Nabatean people of Hegra, whose wildlife art covers the ancient rocks. Instead of using the fabric and palm tree posts of the Bedouin tents, these viewpoints use stretched fabric over monolithic curved walls, to create a novel but sympathetic silhouette externally and provide shade to those inside viewing the unique landscape.The three viewpoints frame specific views of nature in key habitat locations they also act as a story-telling tool for the guides. Each viewpoint is paired with exhibition-style boards (also designed by Clover Studio) which complement a guided narrative through the reserve.

Project Concept

The project was commissioned by The Royal Commission for AlUla, to develop viewpoints for a safari-style wildlife and nature experience in the wildlife reserve portion of the archaeological site. The temporary structures were designed to be lightweight and sensitive to the site and completely removable without any ground disturbance. Clover Studio designed the customer journey narrative and interventions in the landscape through storyboard sketches and a design process that combined architectural design, exhibition graphics and a spoken guided experience.

Design Approach

Each viewpoint reinterprets the language of the Bedouin tents of the ancient Nabatean people of Hegra, whose wildlife art covers the ancient rocks. Instead of using the fabric and palm tree posts of the Bedouin tents, these viewpoints use stretched fabric over monolithic curved walls, to create a novel but sympathetic silhouette externally and provide shade to those inside viewing the unique landscape.The three viewpoints frame specific views of nature in key habitat locations they also act as a story-telling tool for the guides. Each viewpoint is paired with exhibition-style boards (also designed by Clover Studio) which complement a guided narrative through the reserve.

HEGRA VIEWPOINTS