Qatar has given the green light to develop a pair of buildings designed by the late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid.
The projects were commissioned by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani’s Al Alfia Holding in 2013 as part of Lusail City’s masterplan.
Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) will now develop the first project by 2020, a 70,000 sq m hotel with residential apartments in Lusail City’s Marina District. The second design commissioned by Al Alfia Holding will be built within the ongoing plan for future development of the city.
Working with Arup Engineering and Atelier Ten, global leaders in environmental design and engineering, Hadid’s design for the 38 storey first project was inspired by the structure of the Desert Hyacinth, a flowering plant native to 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.
“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.