38Qatar Todaymarch 10 ifteen years ago, Doha was DevoiD of any architectural innovation. the worD ‘architecture’ referreD only to the small builDings reminiscent of an earlier perioD of Qatar’s history. but now slowly anD surely, the architectural lanDscape of the countr y is changing, with worlD famous architects Designing important lanDmarks – like the museum of islamic art by i m pei. that’s one facet of the construc- tion boom; the other is the pillars of glass Dotting the corniche. by sinDhu nair
Transcript
8/7/2019 2010 March cover story
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ifteen years ago, Doha was DevoiD
of any architectural innovation.
the worD ‘architecture’ referreD
only to the small builDings
reminiscent of an earlier perioD of
Qatar’s history.
but now slowly anD surely, the
architectural lanDscape of the
country is changing, with worlDfamous architects Designing
he west bay currently has 104* listeD towers; thepearl-Qatar has over 35* towers; the barwafinancial District, al waab city anD lusail all havenumerous resiDential anD commercial towers inthe masterplan. the glass towers at the west bay,though moDern in Design, are not best suiteD forthe Desert climate, anD are classifieD as‘environmental Disasters’.
in a country that is emphasising its culturalroots,Do these glass blocks convey the cultureanD the traDitions to the worlD? why shoulD a
country which has a Distinct Qatariarchitecture so suiteD for its climatic conDitioncopy a style that is clearly not its own?
Qatar toDay poses this Question to those in thefielD – some who have been witnesses of thisgrowth anD others who were actively involveD inthe process. we explore the built environment anDmap the architectural growth of the country.
*( emphoris.com, which lists the tall builDings in the worlD.)
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aesthetic Development
At the recent launch of the KnowledgeEnrichment Centre, Her Highness Sheikha
Mozah bint Nasser Al Misned commented
on the gap between the country’s modern
buildings and its cultural traditions. To bridge
the gap, she called on Doha’s architects to
base their architectural innovation on the
historic Qatari building style.
Issa Al Mohannadi, CEO of Dohaland,
has been instrumental in conceptualising
projects that have an identity rooted in
history. He says that the built environment
of the country is more of a blind replication
rather than a representative evolution of
regional aesthetics.
“The pattern of development and growth in
recent decades has tended towards isolated
(single) land uses with a modernistic urban
sprawl and heavy reliance on car transport.
Most aesthetic values in architecture
were drawn from Western inuences and
are marked by the anonymity of modern
architecture, with very few drawing
inspiration from Qatari heritage.
“Dohaland aims to reverse that trend,
and set Qatari and regional architecture on
the long forgotten path of developing and
evolving their own architectural language.”
He is quite emphatic when he says that
he wants the city to be recognisably Qatari,
and “we also want it to be sustainable and
environmental-friendly. More importantly, we
want it to be people-friendly.”
Ibrahim Jaidah, the Managing Director
of Arab Engineering Bureau, is passionate
about Arabic architecture and has been
trying hard to revive traditional art through
his designs. His work in the country haswon him three Arab Cities Award, one
Islamic Cities Award and three Aga Khan
nominations. He has recently written a
book, The History of Qatari Architecture ,
which he says, ”will help the next generation
of designers know more about their own
form of architecture.”
He feels the emerging trends in aesthetics
are quite positive. As an example, he cites
the new law by the planning department
which states that buildings cannot be fully
glazed but has to use a combination of solid
structures and glass.
“These are good moves which will prevent
us from making architectural bloopers. It will
help avoid copying of world architecture here,
which has been a fad for some time now. It
is dangerous to have a fad in architecture
because fashion fades while architecture
should not.”
For Dr Yousef M Alhorr, Deputy CEO(Operations) and Senior Strategist at Barwa,
aesthetics of design as well as ecological
factors are both important while preserving
the national identity.
“To achieve the environmental aims of
Qatar’s National Vision 2030, it is highly
recommended to capitalise on what has
been already achieved internationally,
and to build on it. In other words, now is
the right time to move the application of
sustainability and green building practices
from optional to compulsory status while
introducing a Qatari-made mechanismsupported by regulations and incentives.”
Barwa Real Estate and Qatari Diar Real
Estate Investment Company has announced
the adoption of green building philosophy
selecting Qatar Sustainability Assessment
System (QSAS) as the rating system.
“Impacts can be mitigated by encouraging
designs to align with cultural identity
and traditions, designing for a seamless
integration into the existing cultural fabric
and planning for the use of local materials
and workforce.”
Associate Director of Allies and Morrison
Architects and General Manager of their
Qatar branch ofce, Simon Gathercole
agrees wholeheartedly with HH Sheikha
Mozah’s observation. His rm is involved in
the Musheireb development by Dohaland.
He believes that Qatar’s culture and
heritage must be reected in its buildings,
and his rm is striving to create that
architectural language.
“We’re exploring how architecture can
work to bridge the gap between 21st
century design and lessons from the past.
We do not want to mimic the past, but to
need to reinterpret it,” he says.
Director of Architecture at GHD, Martin
Hay compares facades to clothing.
“Most of us, if given the choice, would
not choose our clothing on the basis of
cost alone. Why then do we often put up
with facades in which the cheapest possible
solution is adopted to make a short-term
nancial gain? Not only do they appear
shabby after a while, they also give the
impression that the owner does not care.”He says that, while there are many ne
modern developments here, there are many
that aren’t.
“Architectural ‘style’ will always be
debated, however one cannot escape the
collective responsibility to ensure that at
the very least, buildings demonstrate a
commitment to quality,” he says.
“Personally, I am very fond of traditional
Qatari Architecture, however as in all other
parts of the world, this has developed from a
“we want our city tobe recogniseD throughour architecture. whensomeone visits our city,
or even sees a pictureof one of our builDingsin a postcarD, we wantthem to say, ‘oh yes.that is Qatar’ “
to be sensitively adapted. Developments inconstruction technology and sustainable
development create new possibilities and
the skill will be in incorporating the new
while respecting traditional cultural values,”
says Hay.
Director of Development – Qatar, Halcrow,
Dean Thompson, feels that things are
looking up in the construction sector. There
is a combination of good and bad in West
Bay, that creates a vibrant character.
“I think to date, the speed at which
things happened meant that quality wasn’t
considered as well as it should have, but
now with the sustainability initiatives that
are in place, everybody is slowing down and
saying, ‘we have to do more than just build
a building, we have to add value, make it
attractive to an occupier and to a tenant.’”
“But there are some really key architectural
buildings in the Education City. They are not
so overt that they compete with each other,
but there’s a character to the campus that
people can enjoy,” he says.
infrastructure woes
The development of a country does not lie
wholly in its architecture but also requires
creating an infrastructure that helps every-
thing fall in place.
Sadly, the infrastructure of the country is
far from perfect.
Al Mohannadi feels that there is a need
for prioritisation and coordination.
“Great strides are being made in
developing the infrastructure for Qatar. Major
investments are currently in place and are
being proposed for new rail, highway, powerand water, and telecoms improvement
across the whole country but the execution
pace is the key.”
He adds, “Accessibility is a key success
factor for any development. And developers
need to seriously consider innovative,
sustainable ideas to minimise the need of
using transportation, as much as possible. We
need to start thinking about the balanced
mixed land-use development concepts. On
the other hand, we also need to move fast
a
few years ago, Doha
had a serious problem
– lack of affordable
residential units. A
year of intensive
construction followed
and now the city seems to be spoilt for
choice. Does this reect a surplus?
Jaidah feels that there was a shortage
and there has been a correction, which
points to a healthy state of affairs.
This surplus too, according to him, is
necessary for the correction of ination
in the realty sector, .
Mohannadi says, “Typical suburban
housing density is low in Qatar and
this generates high transport demand
when residents drive to schools,
mosques, ofces and shopping malls.
Housing density and provision should beconsidered parallely with other amenities
such as health, education, transport and
job opportunities, to enable efcient
functioning of the city as a whole. It
is the mixed used concept that we
need to start thinking of to implement
sustainability into our daily life.”
The quality of construction can
denitely be improved, feels Al Mohannadi,
particularly in terms of overall planning
and sustainability.
Thompson feels that if development
continues in the same way as is targeted,
then there should not be any surplus. But
he also hits the nail on the head when
he says that housing for the low income
group is the critical need of the country.
“I see a shortage of housing in the
lower economic ranges. Dubai was a
prime example, catering completely
to the top end. Qatar has to cater to
the lower income bracket as well. The
country is basically developed by the
labour that’s here. So you need to caterto them, and need to integrate them into
the society. Otherwise you end up with a
less stable environment than you would
normally have.”
“it is Dangerous to have faDsin architecture because faDsfaDes while architectureshoulD not.”
ibrahim JaiDahmanaging Directorarab engineering bureau
housing issues
museum of islamic arts
sheraton builDing
Qpost builDing
fave structures
to elevate the public transportation systems
so as to make it A-class and change the
local perception to adapt to and consider
more environmental friendly means of
transportation.”
Jaidah feels that, the infrastructure of the
country doesn’t match the development, but
the gap is narrowing.
“After ve years, moving from one place
to another will be easier,” predicts Jaidah,
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“Monorails and underground rail system are
being planned, which will positively affectthe transport systems.”
Alhorr feels that there is no city that is
developing at the pace of Doha. “Enormous
geographical transformation means it is
inevitable that all parts of the city will move
forward at the same pace.”
Urban Connectivity (UC), says Alhorr,
consists of factors associated with the
zoning, transportation networks and
loadings.
“Loadings on the urban environment
include trafc congestion, pollution, and
waste/sewage infrastructure.
“Considering UC our responsibility is to be
able to offer a solid system while complying
with the essential elements of the urban
environment.”
Hay feels that, in a rapidly developing
country, infrastructure will always be lagging
behind. The transport system is already
under strain; water and drainage are in need
of major improvements too.
“Transport, water, sanitation and
utilities are fundamental prerequisites for
any successful city. These are expensive
and take time to implement. It is best to
make that investment at the beginning,
since retrotting or refurbishing major
infrastructure in developed urban areas is
complex and unsustainable,” feels Hay.
Thompson deals with transportation
issues on a daily basis.
“At the moment, the public transport
system is not equipped to accommodate
all those who need it. We always have to
remember that with the hot climate here for
a certain part of the year, people are notgoing to walk long distances from the tube
station to another location; they need some
way of moving around.
now anD later
what’s the look 15 years
hence?
The planning of the city has emphasised
aesthetics, says Jaidah.
“The shape of the Corniche and the radial
roads all add so much beauty to the city,”
he says, “But the planning of the residential
areas is to be relooked. It doesn’t suit us at
all. We should go back to earlier planning
of Arab cities, with focus on pedestrian
facilities, meeting places and a sense of
community living. All this has to come back,
for a city to thrive.”
Jaidah wants the country to have an
identity of its own, and not be looked at as
a copy of another.Mohannadi hopes to see “responsible
decisions” by developers and decision
makers to hold values, local culture and
sustainability at the heart of their identity.
“Going forward, I also hope to see Musheireb
and many other projects forming iconic
landmarks within the city – both culturally
and globally recognisable, yet providing a
comfortable neighborhood to live, work and
thrive. I believe it will heavily inuence many
local developments so Doha will have its
own brand of modern Qatari architecture.”
Hay feels that, 15 years later, Doha will
become a city that offers high quality of
lifestyle and facilities for major institutions,
businesses and for families or individuals
who can afford to invest or live here.
“Current developments such as The
Pearl-Qatar, The Lusail development and
particularly the Musheireb project will
reinforce this.“
Qatar’s relatively small size is also its
strength, says Hay.
“And there will be a point where it makes
more sense to sustain fewer developments of
higher quality than to create developments
for the sake of a transient property
market.”
Thompson hopes that there is less
emphasis on high-rise.
”From an urban design point of view, if you
look at the heights of the buildings within
Lusail, overall its human-scale buildings.
They are kept to the right scale. With high
khalifa tower anD staDiumthe sheraton hotelthe islamic cultural centre (fanar)the Qatar science anD technology parkanD the museum of islamic arts
“while it is importantfor the status ofQatar to create steelanD glass towers to
symbolise its vibrant,moDern central busi-ness District, elsewherethere is the neeD tomerge local charac-teristics of the natu-ral environment, cul-ture, anD lifestyle tocreate an architectur-al style that isuniQuely our own.”
Dr yousef alhorrDeputy ceo, barwa
“architectural ‘style’ will al-ways be DebateD, however onecannot escape the collectiveresponsibility to ensure that atthe very least, builDings Demon-strate a commitment to Quality”
a very small piece of ground. This is not avery healthy option.”
This kind of construction is not justied by
a lack of space, Thompson points out.
“The traditional Middle East architecture
is about small spaces, shaded allies, close
environments, close-knit communities. The
old buildings form natural spaces between
them to shade each other so you reduce
the heat load on buildings. It’s a very
different architecture. You don’t want your
city to be lled with towers; you want it
to be a sprawling communities. Proper
neighbourhoods,” says Thompson.
Gathercole echoes Jaidah’s sentiments,
calling for a ‘pedestrian movement’ within
the city.
“I feel that more work must be done to
encourage Qatari families to move back
into the city centre and to make the country
more pedestrian-friendly. Doha will become
more vibrant if families live in the heart of
the city and if people were encouraged to
walk the streets, as well as use their cars.”
In 15 years, Doha has potential to become
a true model of a modern Arabic city, one
that embraces new low energy technologies,
sustainable design strategies and building
processes with traditional, locally rooted
designs and architecture, says Gathercole.
what Does our city say?
Like many other art forms, architecture has
a language; it communicates different mes-
sages to different people. While Italy has a
distinctively romantic setting with a strong
Renaissance feel, Singapore has a strong
post-modern vibe. What sentiment, then,
do the the buildings in Doha convey to the
outside world?
Al Mohannadi is clear about what he
wants the city to be. “We want our city
to be recognised through our architecture.
When someone visits our city, or even
sees a picture of one of our buildings in apostcard, we want them to say, ‘Oh yes. That
is Qatar’.
“We want to maintain our unique
identity. We want our architecture to be an
introduction to our deep roots. On a more
practical level, we want to make this city
more community and people friendly.”
For Jaidah, it’s about uniqueness and the
associated memories.
“Like the Museum of Islamic Art and the
Souq Waqif, these buildings should ignite
memories of the country.”
Many cities have followed the ‘Bilbao
effect’ (the wow factor in buildings)
and commissioned landmark cultural
institutes housed within architectural iconic
developments.
According to Hay, “Architecture
demonstrates an investment in quality and a
respect for the environment and its citizens.
It states that you are serious when it comes
to culture and civic pride. My own view is
that if Qatar can strike a balance between
the occasional landmark or iconic building,
with considered urban development that
embodies quality in design and sensitivity
to the needs of its citizens on a day-to-day
level, it will achieve something where many
cities have failed.”
Gathercole cities the Knowledge
Enrichment Centre.
“The KEC itself and the exhibition it houses,
reinforce the importance of innovative
contemporary design that is also rooted in
the past. This comes from understanding
the evolution of the city and changing
ways of life as well as from architecturaland urban form. Engaging visitors and the
local community with issues of development
and design can be a very powerful way of
changing people’s perception of Qatar as
well as encouraging excellence in the built
environment.”
People-focused development, according
to Gathercole, will also make Doha a more
interesting and pleasant place for tourists to
visit.
“we’re exploring howarchitecture can workto briDge the gapbetween twenty-first
century Design anDlessons from the past.we Do not want tomimic the past, but toreinterpret it”
simon gathercole,general manager ofQatar office, allies anDmorrison architects
souk waQif
museum of islamic art
fave structures
“traDitional architecture isabout small spaces, shaDeDallies, ,close-knit communities.the olD builDings form naturalspaces between them. it’s aDifferent architecture.”
Dean thompson,Director of Development- Qatar,halcrow
carnegie melonuniversity-QatarsouQ waQif
fave structures
(With inputs from Elizabeth Weingarten)
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01 02 03 04 05
tallbuilDingstatisticsfor Doha
51 15 07136existing unDer
constructionunbuilt planneD
the best builDings in Doha
museum ofislamic art
villagiosouQ waQif the pearlQatar
zig-zagtowers
( source: emphoris.com, which lists the tall builDings in the worlD.)
