Rashad Resort

Soha Elgohary

Project idea

Rashad Resort is an ecological wellness destination that reimagines the relationship between architecture, landscape, and environmental regeneration in the historic city of Rashid. The project responds to one of the city's most pressing challenges: the rising saline groundwater that threatens its valuable heritage buildings by transforming this environmental problem into a source of healing and renewal.

Through an integrated system of groundwater collection, treatment, and therapeutic reuse, the resort demonstrates how architecture can contribute to both ecological resilience and human well-being. Water, landscape, and built form are carefully woven together to create a sequence of restorative experiences that reconnect visitors with the natural character of Rashid and its Mediterranean coastline. It's more than a wellness retreat, Rashad Resort serves as a catalyst for environmental and urban regeneration, where personal restoration is linked to the preservation of Rashid's heritage and the creation of a resilient, ecologically driven future.

Project description

The project proposes the design of an ecological wellness resort on the Mediterranean coastline of Rashid, integrating hospitality, wellness, and environmental regeneration within a unified masterplan. The development includes wellness and meditation facilities, therapeutic water features, and outdoor recreational areas. It incorporates a sustainable groundwater management strategy by collecting and reusing saline groundwater for therapeutic pools, lagoons, and landscape irrigation, reducing its environmental impact while enhancing the visitor experience. Native vegetation, palm groves, and ecological landscaping are integrated throughout the site to reinforce the identity of Rashid and improve the local microclimate. The proposal targets wellness tourists seeking a nature-based retreat, while contributing to the revitalisation of Rashid's tourism sector and strengthening the city's cultural and environmental identity.

Technical information

The main buildings are constructed using reinforced concrete and steel structural systems, finished with locally inspired limestone cladding, timber elements, and high-performance glazed façades. The elevated wellness pods are supported on steel piling foundations and wrapped with a lightweight woven palm-rattan double skin to enhance natural ventilation, provide solar shading, and reinforce the cultural identity of Rashid. The project incorporates passive cooling strategies through building orientation, cross-ventilation, shaded outdoor spaces, and extensive landscape integration. Saline groundwater collected from the site is treated and reused for therapeutic pools, reflective water features, and landscape irrigation, contributing to environmental sustainability and water efficiency.

Documentation

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