Zaha Hadid Architects have released plans for a 70,000 square meter (750,000 square foot) hotel and residential tower in the Marina District of Lusail City, Qatar. The design is the first of two ZHA projects commissioned by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani for Lusail City?s integrated community master plan, which when complete will become Qatar?s first and largest sustainable city, providing entertainment, employment and accommodation for up to 450,000 residents and visitors.

Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

Zaha Hadid Architects have released plans for a 70,000 square meter (750,000 square foot) hotel and residential tower in the Marina District of Lusail City, Qatar. The design is the first of two ZHA projects commissioned by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani for Lusail City?s integrated community master plan, which when complete will become Qatar?s first and largest sustainable city, providing entertainment, employment and accommodation for up to 450,000 residents and visitors.ZHA?s design for the 38-story hotel and residential tower takes inspiration from the structure of the Desert Hyacinth, a flowering plant native to the Arabian Gulf. The building consists of a 9-pointed podium surrounding a central core defined by the interlacing, flowing geometries of the hyacinth.The façade system utilizes the traditional element of the ornamental mashrabiya to protect the building from the hot Arabian climate by reducing solar gain. The building...