The new city of Lusail, located adjacent to the capital Doha, is being built between the Qatari desert and the Persian gulf. The city's Marina district is laid out in an orthogonal grid of large boulevards. The desire to bring the gigantic architectural presence of the neighborhood's skyscrapers and infrastructure down to a more human scale is manifested through the creation of twenty-six gardens. These gardens serve in providing both cool as well as more intimate relaxing spaces throughout the city.

The gardens are designed on the model of the characteristic courtyard used throughout Arabic architecture, the sahn, around which a large number of mosques and Islamic public spaces are organized. The structure of these “gardens of the five senses” is similar to that of Western cloisters: an enclosed, small-scaled courtyard, surrounded on all sides by shaded arcades. The interior square is most often made of a mineral surface though lavishly decorated with vegetation providing shade. At the center of the square there is usually a water source, fountains or basins, for rituals or drinking. These small sanctuaries provide their users with places to rest as well as play areas, far from the agitation of the imposing boulevards.