KSA Archives | Killa Design

SHARP Magazine: Shebara Resort in Saudi Arabia – Sustainable Luxury, Straight From the Future

Brad Holdsworth — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 04:37:01 +0000

What strikes you first is the futurism so prevalent in architect Shaun Killa’s vision. With Shebara Resort opening in November 2024, it has set new standards for the region. Step inside to experience an innovative luxury resort with a focus on sustainability.

By Thor Svaboe | August 2025

Cropping up as if naturally grown from Sheybarah island’s minimal landscape, the resort offers 73 private villas, with some nestled in the soft dunes by the beach and others hovering above the crystal-clear water, pod-like, as if beamed down to their shoreline perches. Shebara Resort was created through a partnership of renowned architects and hospitality experts, dedicated to fostering both luxury and environmental stewardship.

Whether you choose a beachside abode or an overwater, pod-like villa, the feeling will be one of quiet seclusion, with a space-age vibe and a high level of service. Plus, each villa comes with its own butler. Whether you want to book one of the resort’s restaurants or go on a snorkelling trip, the butler is just a quick WhatsApp message away.

Travellers accustomed to this level of service will be used to the Maldives and the Egyptian side of the Red Sea, but Shebara Resort sets new standards for the Saudi shores. If you’re into snorkelling, the house reef at Shebara offer colourful, healthy corals and abundant aquatic life, with a choice of restaurants to wind down after a day under the waves. The resort offers numerous dining options; the Japanese Iki Roe restaurant has already garnered travellers’ praise as one of the standout choices.

Guests can enjoy breakfast by the family pool at Lunara, though the inimitable vista from each villa makes an in-house option very tempting. And, if your villa is one of the beachside options, starting the day with the zen-inducing rhythm of a healthy meal (and sunrise by your private pool) is equally appealing.

Killa Design, a Dubai-based architecture firm, is renowned for its innovative and futuristic designs that redefine modern landscapes. Founded by Shaun Killa, the firm specializes in sustainable, cutting-edge architecture, with projects spanning luxury resorts, commercial towers, and cultural landmarks. Killa Design’s work often integrates bold geometric forms with environmental sensitivity, making it a key player in shaping the architectural identity of the Gulf region.

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Arab News: How Saudi developer TRSDC is turning Sheybarah Island into an iconic resort

Brad Holdsworth — Sun, 05 Jun 2022 06:31:27 +0000

Located in the southeast of TRSDC’s archipelago in the Red Sea, Sheybarah Hotel is a 73-room hyper luxury resort situated on Sheybarah Island.

by DANA ALOMAR | May 23, 2022

DUBAI: The Red Sea Development Co., the property developer known for building some of the most futuristic hospitality projects, is raising eyebrows across the design world with its overwater imprint of floating orbs on Sheybarah Island.

Located in the southeast of TRSDC’s archipelago in the Red Sea, Sheybarah Hotel is a 73-room hyper luxury resort situated on Sheybarah Island, which uses a design vocabulary involving a highly reflective stainless-steel skin polished to get a mirror finish.

These floating orbs reflect the colors and surface patterns of the ocean and the colors of the sky as they change throughout the day. This approach alleviates the visual impact of the architecture on the surroundings and harnesses solar energy with its reflective mirror surface.

The brains behind Dubai’s new Museum of the Future, Killa Design, designed these stainless-steel orbs, which promise to be a unique experience for guests in 2023 when the resort opens.

Speaking about these orbs, Yatindra Mudbidri, director of Grankraft Industries, said that the most crucial challenge to building the orbs was how to manufacture something seamless.

Grankraft is a partner of TRSDC empaneled to create over 70 futuristic ‘floating bubble’ overwater villas with seamless polished stainless-steel surfaces that reflect the environment.

“It’s like water; it reflects what you project onto it,” said Mudbidri.

Due to the company’s commitment to sustainability, the orbs are currently manufactured and built off-site at Grankraft’s facility in Sharjah Free Zone. The spheres are expected to be shipped this summer to the destination to be effectively “plugged” into the project.

Grankraft designed the orbs so that the skin is thermally isolated from the structure, he said, while adding that each sphere takes about 45 days to construct.

According to Killa Designs, the entire project is powered by a centralized solar farm, and freshwater is supplied from a solar-powered desalination plant.

Recycling the waste material takes place on the island, minimizing the need to bring or remove materials from the site.

The entire infrastructural backbone of the project forms part of a visitor experience where guests can learn about the approach followed to make the project a self-sustained human development, said the design company in its concept note.

So, can one cook an egg on the stainless-steel orb?

“Unless you walk on top of the villa and place it directly at the location where the sun’s reflection is,” quipped Mudbidri, revealing a possibility not worth trying.

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