AL-SOUDAH: A young Saudi architect has stamped his mark on Al-Soudah Season with a unique housing project. Inspired by the falcons of Al-Shaheen that inhabit the Asir mountain tops, Eng. Khalid Al-Hunaidi has designed and built highland cabins and villas for the festival season of activities. The housing scheme was one of many initiatives being carried out by Al-Soudah Season office, its CEO Husameddin Al-Madani told Arab News. “One of our goals for Al-Soudah Season is to create opportunities for local talent and contribute to the development of the tourism industry.” He said that because of the geographical location and time frame of the development, a number of international specialists had declined to take on the construction contract. “But engineer Khalid’s determination and confidence to design and build our cabins and villas was enough for me to put my confidence in his abilities. I am proud that the end result is such an innovative project, executed in a tight timeline,” he added. Al-Madani pointed out that the housing project formed part of plans to make the festival unique by nature, offering authentic cultural and adventurous outdoor experiences in a stunning landscape. Al-Hunaidi said his interest in architecture began at high school when he worked for a friend’s father at weekends. “I was impressed by the transformation of turning concepts into reality. “I graduated from university and was hired by a foreign international company within Dubai and later in Saudi Arabia. I have everything I need to develop my abilities and look for more experience and knowledge,” he added. The turning point in Al-Hunaidi’s career came when his father asked him to design a five-bedroom outdoor villa in Al-Soudah two years ago. It took him four months to execute the project and the villa was built entirely from local stone. He named it Al-Sahu (which in Arabic means “forgetting”) because it was easy to go there and sit, relax and forget everything. Al-Soudah Season runs throughout August featuring various aeronautical and adventure sports activities, such as parachute jumping, in addition to art and entertainment events.