A hotel named after a tree

The ghaf grows in the Emirati desert on almost no water and gives shade to everything underneath. The hotel is built to do the same job.

The tree

The ghaf (Prosopis cineraria) is the national tree of the UAE. Its roots go deep, so it holds on through heat and drought.

GHAF takes the name for the same reason it takes the shape: a building that makes shade, and leaves planting in it.

Solar canopy along the roof edge above planted terraces — Solar canopy and planted roof edge. Concept render.

Three materials

          StoneWarm sandstone slabs form the terraces and the structure you see from the street. Inside, the same stone is on the floor.

          TimberVertical timber louvres screen the core of the building and soften the light behind them.

          PlantingGhaf trees and desert shrubs on every terrace, a green wall along the core and another one in the arrival hall.

The arrival hall: living green wall, timber louvres, sandstone floor and a shaft of light — Arrival hall. Concept render.

See what the building has on every level, or where it stands.

See the amenities See the location