Success! This building reminds you of a hanging garden and of closed patios of the traditional Arab homes. Transparent and luminous, weightless and undulating like a wave at the wind’s beckoning like the curve of the dunes, this building opens onto the infinity of the Gulf’s waters in a welcoming gesture. Despite its mass, the architects have succeeded thanks to its asymmetric volume and absence of a visual roof, to create an outstanding dynamic light structure rather like the image of the town itself. If the north wing follows scrupulously the straight-line plan of the town, the South wing curves gently opening out onto the Corniche, facing the direction of Mecca. The heart, or should I say the breath of this place, is the gigantic atrium 150 m. high which occupies the total height of the building as in the old houses of Bastakya. It stands like a wind tower creating natural ventilation. Perfectly adapted to the region, the face of the building is composed of 3 “skins” which protect from the sun, keeping the interior at a reasonable temperature without having to use too much air conditioning: the first layer on the outside is made
la hauteur de l’immeuble et qui, comme dans les vieilles maisons de Bastakya, fait office de tour à vent, contribuant ainsi à créer une ventilation naturelle. Parfaitement adaptée aux contraintes naturelles propres au MoyenOrient, la façade de l’immeuble est composée de trois ‘peaux’ qui permettent de se protéger du soleil et de conserver l’intérieur à une température acceptable sans abuser de la climatisation : la première, à l’extérieure, est formée d’un double vitrage «Low-e» (pour «low emission» - faible émission), c’est-à-dire d’un verre traité à l’aide de particules métalliques microscopiques qui réduisent
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