Late Zaha Hadid’s Sustainable Desert Headquarters Design Faces Completion

Photograph by Hufton + Crow, via Zaha Hadid Architects

A 9,000-square-meter (almost 98,000-square-foot) “office of the future,” designed by the late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, gracefully sits in the Al Sahara desert, as construction for it has just concluded.

Hadid’s studio has shared drone footage of the meandering architecture for the new headquarters of environmental management firm BEEAH, a vision that draws from the surrounding dunes.

The architect began work for the BEEAH Headquarters in 2014, and when she passed on in 2016, her successor Patrik Schumacher helmed the project. The building will facilitate the company’s management and administrative activities—and reflecting the nature of its business, Zaha Hadid Architects has envisioned the office to reach net-zero emissions, with sustainability running in its veins.

Photograph by Hufton + Crow, via Zaha Hadid Architects

Photograph by Hufton + Crow, via Zaha Hadid Architects

The center’s contoured, topographic design continues within. Departments are divided into two “dunes,” which meet at an “oasis” central courtyard with ample natural ventilation.

Photograph by Hufton + Crow, via Zaha Hadid Architects

All internal spaces are designed to be lit by natural lighting, though glazing is kept at a minimum to deflect the harsh sun. To balance out the heat, glass-reinforced fiber panels are added to the exterior for temperature control.

Photograph by Hufton + Crow, via Zaha Hadid Architects

The building runs on a solar array that’s certified Platinum, the highest tier of the LEED green building certification program. In addition, it has its own water treatment technology that filters wastewater.

“Through the Headquarters, BEEAH Group is demonstrating how technology can scale sustainable impact, ultimately serving as a blueprint for tomorrow’s smart, sustainable cities,” the architecture studio comments.

Photograph by Hufton + Crow, via Zaha Hadid Architects

Photograph by Hufton + Crow, via Zaha Hadid Architects

Photograph by Hufton + Crow, via Zaha Hadid Architects

[via Dezeen and Hypebeast, images by Hufton + Crow, via Zaha Hadid Architects]