KAPSARC (King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre) recently opened in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. A work of the British firm Zaha Hadid Architects, the research institution rises in the desert landscape with a modular structure of hexagons, inspired in the cells of organisms, that will facilitate future enlargements. With its total floor area of 70,000 square meters, the faceted complex presents five interconnected buildings arranged around a large courtyard with pergolas held up by branching steel pillars. For protection against high temperaturas, the campus closes itself to the south while opening up to the north and west. In this way, the interior spaces can be cooled naturally by the region’s dominant winds. KAPSARC has been acknowledged as a sustainable building through the US Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum certification.