The extensive project suggested an all encompassing, trifold-vault design. Inspired by the concept of the tent as a lightweight structure of the desert, the architect intended the design to form a link between centuries of traditional life in the vast desert of the Arabian peninsula and the expectations of modern urban society.

The experience of wide-span Structural techniques (Similar to those used by the architect in designing the Olympic Complex in Montreal) made it possible, to achieve the largest spanning tent structure ever made.

Covering 25,000 square meter, it supports six points around the perimeter, each bearing around 10,000 ton of vertical force. Three shells make up the roof, two triangular and one elliptical, with a total span of 265 meter. The structure is made of steel, concrete and glass. Photographs of the fair-faced concrete shell under construction reveal the powerful impact of the vaulted shell structure.

This is the tour de force of the design where dimensions and geometry play a major role. The architects had previously designed this type of concrete shell in Luxembourg, with a span of 100 meter. The Cub shell span was increased by 50 percent to 150 meter, to a structure that is now amongst the largest existing shells in the world.

The larger the extent of the Shell, the greater the problems faced with puckering. The more extended the shell is, the more elegant its qualities become. The dimensions employed here led to the shell becoming very heavy. The eggshell effect was the result of puckering occurring in different directions. The plan for the shell was based on a particular set of configurations that employed a method combining mathematical points with geometric divisions.

The edge vaults arching out of the central shell on either side are shells regulated by spheres: spherical shells. The configuration for these is simpler than the central shell, which was set up through a complex set of geometrical definitions. By forming a spherical segment with a central point cut into triangles, they create the shape of a shell.

The central vault is round in certain areas, designed by hand & extremely complex, incorporating a cantilever. The supports are positioned at successive intervals distributed between the center, & outer circumference. Cables support the cantilevers on either side.

As a result, the shell required holes to accommodate the cables, which support the suspension properties and capacity in every direction. The Stability, tension and complex geometry of the central shell could only be computer generated to calculate this large span. The diagram is based on a set of points that would take far too long to calculate manually and would then be subject to human error, during this laborious process where precision is imperative. Whereas the side vaults had one center each, the sphere of the central shell has several centers generated by circular arches on each side, with cantilevering coming in from either direction. The geometric configuration employed therefore generated section at every 2 or 3 meter in travel of the shell skin.