Found in the middle of a sprawling desert outside the city of Aqaba, Jordan, the Ayla Clubhouse & Golf Academy echoes its surrounding arid landscape. Miami-based Oppenheim Architecture crafted the building’s shell to extend from the land like a sand dune, “as if they had been blown into place by the wind,” says firm founder Chad Oppenheim. To maintain the building’s natural form, lighting and ventilation were expertly concealed, while the patterned Corten steel dividers found along the exterior were inspired by traditional window screens known as ‘mashrabiyas.’ Cut with Jordanian tribal motifs, they filter light through while also allowing an optimal level of privacy. Beyond extending into the agrarian environment, natural materials made their way into the structure. Raw minerals from the hillside were added into the shotcrete mixture, supplying the reddish hue that mirrors the nearby natural dunes and mountains. “It was essential for us that the building was handmade,” says Oppenheim. “It came from the land and shows the soul of the indigenous people.”