Jabal Omar Development Company has selected Wilson Associates to design 19 hotels in a 26-hotel development in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The massive project is part of the Makkah Development Authority's plan to develop the city's central region by 2020. "After 39 years in the business, we are thrilled to be selected as the designers of this prestigious and spiritual development," says Trisha Wilson in a statement, adding that they had just 12 minutes to make the original pitch for the business. "As a firm we have designed and installed over one million guestrooms and we are honored to be selected to design over 10,500 rooms simultaneously for one client."

The designers' winning concept included a design based on cultural and historic traditions of the past with a contemporary refinement. "Here our design focus is to create a balance between contemporary elegance and strong architectural elements punctuated with luxurious finishes," Wilson says.

Makkah, the center of the Islamic World and birthplace of both Prophet Muhammad and the religion he founded, is a center for religious teaching and welcomes more than 65,000 pilgrims at the Grand Central mosque daily. Wilson Associates' project will include 25 towers (ranging from 20-48 stories), 17 grand lobbies, and 40 F&B outlets, each offering views of Makkah and the surrounding holy sites. Hotel brands confirmed include a Conrad, Westin, Marriott, Hyatt, and Sheraton.

The project, slated to open in late 2011, is 20 years in the making, partly due to the fact that to create the site, a team had to cut rocks, demolish and construct roads, four bridges, tunnels, as well as water, sanitation, electricity, and communication networks.

 Above: The construction site. Left: At the Hilton Hotel in Makkah, Wilson Associates reveals a clean-lined lobby design featuring carved stone panels, punched metal fixtures, and a rain chandelier reflecting "puddling" detail on the floor. (Rendering by Liquid Mesh Design, courtesy of Wilson Associates)