Sounds of Desert Wind

“To design a structure that is sculpted by the shamal, perforated by the sun and that sings the song of the wind.”—Adel Zakout

These are the goals that Adel set out when he was asked to design a structure to be located in Doha, Qatar. Located in the Persian Gulf, with summer temperatures averaging over 40 degrees Celsius and almost no precipitation, this capital city is a true desert in need of a distinctive piece of architecture. The project evolved into the Desert Organ, with its contours blending in with the curvatures of the desert landscape, as if it was carved out by the shamal, or desert wind. Adel also had the walls perforated as if the harsh rays from the burning sun have struck through the big white shell, casting shadows onto the underlying sand. More interestingly, with the many pipes created by these perforations, the entire structure acts as an organ to the shamal, creating an audible tone that brings the structure to life in the middle of desert land.