Corinthia Group’s management branch, CHI, has begun preliminary agreements to provide technical and management services for the Zaha Hadid Architect’s (ZHA) designed hotel tower near Doha, Qatar. The 70,000 sq.m project is scheduled for completion in 2020. 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, ZHA’s project for Al Alfia Holding is located in the city’s Marina District.
Designed an community of 450,000 residents and visitors, Lusail City’s water, energy, communications and transport networks are planned to automatically adapt to continually changing conditions, making Lusail the most sustainable city in the region. Continuing these ecological considerations, the formal composition of ZHA’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 geometries of the hyacinth. A filigreed mashrabiya façade envelops the building to reduce solar gain. Source and images, Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects.