IB Hotel and Shopping Center is one of the oldest sites in the city. Inspired by the traditional architecture this scheme aims to reinvent the market place, giving the city a new civic heart. By offering an alternative to the globalized one-size-fits-all shopping center it offers a distinctive modern interpretation of the regional vernacular. As a shopping experience it combines luxury goods boutiques with food markets and craft- based trades. Like the traditional souk, these different experiences are brought together in an interior architecture of dappled sunlight, bright colors and greenery, with a changing rhythm of squares, courtyards and alley ways.For up to six months of the year the climate here is very pleasant – comfortable enough to stroll and sit outside. That has inspired a sequence of public routes and squares in which the barriers between inside and outside are dissolved. Open at night as well as during the day, these new spaces provide an important central venue in the city during festivals and celebrations and are cooled naturally when conditions allow.