Commissioned by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani in 2013 as part of Lusail City’s masterplan to create a sustainable, integrated community, Zaha Hadid designed two projects for Al Alfia Holding. Zaha Hadid Architects will now develop the first project, a 70,000 sq m hotel with residential apartments to complete in 2020, in Lusail City’s Marina District. The second of Hadid’s designs commissioned by Al Alfia Holding will be built within the on-going plan for future development of the city. Designed with innovative solutions as an environmentally sustainable community of 450,000 residents and visitors, The formal composition of Hadid’s design has been inspired by the structure of the Desert Hyacinth; a flowering plant native to the landscapes and coastlines of the Arabian Gulf.
The nine-pointed form of the building’s podium surrounds a central core defined by the interwoven fluid geometries of the hyacinth. A filigreed mashrabiya façade envelops the building to reduce solar gain. “With truly inspirational public spaces and atrium, 120 unique residences and 200 hotel rooms of Zaha Hadid’s unmistakable signature, we celebrate her remarkable legacy and continue Lusail City’s commitment to creating the region’s most sustainable, interconnected community,” said H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairman of Al Alfia Holding. Source by Zaha Hadid Architects.
ZHA Project Team: Gerry Cruz, Drew Merkle, Dennis Brezina, Alia Faisal Zayani, Alessandra Lazzoni, Matthew Le Grice, Mu Ren, Alexandra Fisher, Kwanphil Cho, Joris Pauwels, Jose Pareja Gomez, Katherina Hieger, Konstantinos Psomas, Leo Alves, Mei-Ling Lin, Nicholette Chan, Yifan Zhang
