This project deals with the problem of urban space in a very hot environment, and in particular, the problem of the ‘Plaza’ in artificial, context-less developments in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The project is based on creating continuity between the three elements called for in the brief: a garden, a central sculptural volume, and a network of canopies. The project looks to the souks of Northern Africa as a model for creating interiority and passive cooling as an alternative to open, western public spaces. In this case, the canopies merge into a landscaped Roof which provides shade for walkways below. This Roof also connects the perimeter high-rise buildings together, creating a bi-level entryway into each.

Pools in the Plaza underneath the Roof have a cooling effect, both evaporative and psychological. During the day, when temperatures can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit, this involuted, grotto-like space becomes an inviting sanctuary. Indeed, in an environment where people often avoid the outdoors during daytime hours, this project offers a spatial and atmospheric solution.

The surface of the Roof transforms into a volume at the center of the Plaza. The resulting space becomes a conference and media center, available to all three buildings. This surface-to-volume transformation is an extension of an investigation into surface-to-strand geometries in recent projects. Hybrid, transformative geometries offer a wider range of flexibility than surface, strand, or volume systems alone.