reinterpreting the traditional wood-lattice screens called ‘mashrabiya’ using today’s technological abilities resulted in an outer skinsystem of triangular screens arranged in a series of scalable hexagons fold up to create a solid solar barrier. each of the 1000 panels is connected to a linear actuator which enables it to function in response to the position of the sun, effectively reducing heat gain and glare by 50% while giving islamic vernacular a contemporary representation. the intelligent facade, together with solar thermal panels for hot-water heating and photovoltaic panels on the roof, minimize the need for internal lighting and cooling, altogether reducing total carbon dioxide emissions by over 1750 tons per year.