Zaha Hadid Architects' Desert Flower Tower in Qatar

Zaha Hadid Architects is developing a 38-story tower in Doha, Qatar, commissioned in 2013 by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani for Al Alfia Holding. The 70,000 sqm hotel and apartment complex is part of the Lusail City master plan and is expected to be completed by 2020. The design, inspired by the desert hyacinth plant native to the Persian Gulf, features a nine-pointed star plan around a central core with fluid geometries. A mashrabiya facade provides passive cooling and reduces solar radiation. The project involves Arup, Atelier Ten, and Francis Landscape for environmental and engineering design. Zaha Hadid incorporated local calligraphic, geometric, and architectural traditions into a contemporary interpretation using 21st-century technology.