Sail

This forty-storey seafront residential building on the corniche of Jeddah (KSA), faces the setting sun and therefore needs a robust climate response strategy. A skin made of fiberglass fabric protects the building while it’s origami inspired sculptural presence gives the building its identity.
Facing the sea and the western sun on the Jeddah Corniche, this forty-storey development allowed us to explore a method of solar protection that also created an identity for the building.
A fiberglass fabric curtain layer is hung in space, thanks to an innovative support cable system, creating a monochromatic sculptural origami skin, like a sail.
Perforations in the paper-thin sheet correlate with voids in the structure, opening common spaces and suspended gardens to the views. The largest, at ground level, is the same height as a nine-storey building.