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MORPHOGENESIS Doha Icons vol.2, part 2

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MORPHOGENESIS Doha Icons vol.2, part 2

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Doha Icons This photo-reportage covers some of Doha’s cityscapes and architecture via an integral photographic approach with panoramics, featured buildings (finished and under construction), details and architectural motifs, and fine art impressions.

“Doha, the capital of Qatar, keeps positioning and re-inventing itself on the map of international architecture and urbanism with different expressions of its unique qualities in terms of economy, environment, culture, and global outlook. In many respects, it is pictured as an important emerging global capital in the Gulf region with intensive urban development processes.” - Prof. Ashraf Salama, “Narrating Doha’s contemporary architecture: the then, the now – the drama, the theater, and the performance”, Middle East 2, Issue 8, 4.7.2012 (1) “I would like to take Qatar as a prototype perhaps of what is possible in this new world and how each of these worlds is radically different. What is truely amazing in Qatar is that on 2 million people only 300.000 are Qataris and therefore where we are strugling with immigrants and countries like France are in a state of crisis through immigration, we have to admire other countries that are living with immigration on a colossal scale, where they are absolutely themselves a minority and therefore it’s impossible – apart from all the other things you can say about conditions etc. – to not also look at this as a part of tolerance.” - Rem Koolhaas ‘Agenda: 4 ambitions’ lecture at the 2012 Jencks Award, RIBA. (2) This photographic project took a few weeks in research, preparation and contacts, a month stay in Doha and a few more weeks in selection and post-processing of the images. The trip took place in October 2013, during which I familiarized with the city, visited selected locations, and met with construction industry professionals who presented some works in progress. For its relatively small size Doha has many fascinating and exceptional buildings to show and with this photo-reportage I wanted to give a glimpse albeit a comprehensive one with cityscapes, featured buildings from renowned architects, archistracts and fine art impressions.

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Doha, the capital of Qatar, is the home to more than 90% of the country’s 1.7 million people, with over 80% professional expatriates. Historically it was a fishing and pearl diving town and up to the mid 1960s, the majority of the buildings were individual traditional houses. The modernization of the city occurred during the 1970s but during the 80s and early 90s the process was slowed down. In recent years Qatar has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world and as such the city is acquiring a geo-strategic importance. At the heart of the vision for the country’s development is a decreased dependence on natural resources and an increased reliance on a knowledge economy such as international universities and businesses, high tech and IT, and generally advanced producer services.

The city inhabits approx. 18 km in the north-south axis along the sea side and 18 km in the east-west axis. The corniche and most of its coastline is man made. The areas that stand out and contribute the most to the city’s emerging character are: Souq Waqif is the historic center and traditional market place. Adjacent we find the Museum of Islamic Art by architect I.M. Pei, on the south side of the corniche. Also under construction in this area scheduled to open in 2014, the National Museum of Qatar by architect Jean Nouvel.

West Bay is the business and diplomatic district on the north side of the corniche concentrating most of the city’s skyscrapers dominating the city’s skyline. It houses many of the international companies’ headquarters, governmental ministries, high-rise hotels and apartment buildings, and shopping centers.

The Pearl is the new sea-side high-rise residential development planned by architecture firm Callison on an artificial island expected to dwell 45.000 people by 2015. In close proximity the Katara Cultural and Heritage village which houses various cultural institutions and recreational activities. The area also includes high-end hotels, shopping centers, the West Bay Lagoon, Doha’s golf club, Qatar University’s campus and a number of embassies.

Education City is Qatar Foundation’s 2.500-acre campus master planned by architect Arata Isozaki. Located on the north-west of the city it hosts faculties from world-renowned universities to home-grown research centers. Qatar National Convention Centre by Arata Isozaki, Science and Pygmalion Karatzas 5

Technology Park by Woods Bagot, Sidra Medical and Research Centre by Cesar Pelli, Mathaf Arab Museum of Modert Art by Jean-Francois Bodin, Qatar Foundation headquarters by OMA, RAND Qatar Policy Institute by OMA, Qatar National Library by OMA, Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies by Mangera Yvars, Liberal Arts & Science by Coelacanth K&H, Weill Cornell Medical College by ADH, Ceremonial Court by Arata Isozaki, Texas A&M Engineering College by Legorreta+Legorreta, Carnegie Mellon University by Legorreta+Legorreta, Hamad Bin Khalifa University by Legorreta+Legorreta, HBKU student housing complex by Treanor and Burns & McDonnell, Northwestern University by Antoine Predock, Al Shaqab Equestrian Centre by Leigh & Orange, Georgetown University by Legorreta+Legorreta.

Aspire Zone is a 250-hectare sporting complex located in Al Waab district on the west part of the city. It houses sport stadia and venues offering sport, sports medicine, research and education, training and rehabilitation facilities. Buildings include: Khalifa International Stadium, Hamad Aquatic Center, Aspire Dome & Academy by Roger Tailibert, Anti-doping Lab Qatar by Olague & Solera, Aspire Logistics, The Torch hotel by Hadi Simaan, Aspetar Sports Medicine Hospital, Villagio Mall, Aspire park.

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The below areas are currently under construction or development: Msheireb Downtown: will be a mixed-use regeneration project at the heart of the city master planned by Allies and Morrison and developed by the Qatar Foundation. Hailed as the world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project, it’s a 31 hectare site in the city center to house premier office, retail, leisure, apartments, hotels, museums, civic services, cultural and entertainment venues. Estimated to be complete by 2016.

Lusail City and Light Rail Transit: on the north of the city is set to become a grand satellite city on over 35 sq.km. and accommodating up to 250.000 people. A master plan by the Lusail Real Estate Development Company with consulting firms Hyder, Halcrow, Cowi, Parsons, Bechtel, estimated to to be complete by 2019. It is also planned to host some of the 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums and related facilities for the event.

HIA Airport City: is a new 10 sq.km. mixed-use development master planned by Rem Koolhaas and his OMA office to link the Hamad International Airport with the existing south part of the city. Phase one is a 30-year plan estimated to be mostly complete for the 2022 World Cup hosted by Qatar.

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Projected to host 200.000 people to live and work for business, logistics, retail, hotels and residences.

Sharq crossing: Santiago Calatrava’s proposal to link the airport area with West Bay and the Pearl via a network of bridges and underwater tunnels.

Completion is expected by 2020 to support the run-up to the World Cup event.

The above list is by no means complete. There are many more developments under way (New Doha Port, Barwa City Development, Al-Waab City Development, Doha Festival City, Anantara Island Resort, Kahramaa Awareness park, the World Cup new stadiums, Hamad International Airport, Doha Convention Center Tower, to name a few) all of which make Doha a compelling city to keep an eye for and visit.

13 January 2014 Pygmalion Karatzas Architectural and fine art photographer B.Sc. Architecture M.Sc. Urban Design Morphogenesis vol.2, part 2 8

References: (1). http://www.architecturalpapers.ch/index.php?ID=64 (2). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y97yXB82nWc Resources: 1. Full series of images can be found here: https://www.pygmalionkaratzas.com/dohaicons https://www.pygmalionkaratzas.com/projectsqatar 2. A research project by Qatar National Research Fund on the city’s architecture and urbanism: http://www.q-urbarch.org/ 3. Professors Kelly Hutzell and Rami el Samahy research and documentation for Doha’s architecture and urbanism by Carnegie Mellon University and Qatar Foundation: http://4ddoha.com 4. Qatar National Vision 2030: http://www.gsdp.gov.qa/portal/page/portal/gsdp_en/qatar_national_vision Pygmalion Karatzas 9

Acknowledgement: I would like to thank the Qatar Foundation for granting me permission to photograph Education City, QDVC and Parsons for giving me access to the Lusail LRT project, SEG Qatar for the Asperat Hospital construction site tour, Al Hamad Engineering for the Al Najma hotel construction site tour, Amara Photos and Anas Akkawi photography for their guidance, Georgios Karatzas and Caterina Georgiopoulou for their hospitality, and e-architect.co.uk, greekarchitects.gr and arcspace.com for their support on this assignment.

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In collaboration with Mimoa architectural website and founder Mieke Vullings, an architectural city guide was developed to highlight Doha’s boom in contemporary architecture.

The two sample pages are the content and map from the book. In the following section an editorial curation of selected buildings is presented.

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MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART I.M. Pei architects

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The Museum of Islamic Art is the result of a journey of discovery conducted

by I.M. Pei, whose quest to understand the diversity of Islamic architecture led him on a world tour. During visits to the Grand Mosque in Córdoba, Spain; Fatehpur Sikri, a Mughal capital in India; the Umayyad Great Mosque in Damascus, Syria; and the ribat fortresses at Monastir and Sousse in Tunisia, he found that influences of climate and culture led to many interpretations of Islamic architecture, but none evoked the true essence he sought.

Mr. Pei’s final design inspiration was the 13th-century sabil (ablutions fountain) of the Mosque of Ahmad Ibn Tulun in Cairo, Egypt (9th century). In the “austerity and simplicity” of the sabil, Mr. Pei stated, he found “a severe architecture that comes to life in the sun, with its shadows and shades of colour.” The sabil offered - an almost Cubist expression of geometric progression,” which evoked an abstract vision of the key design elements of Islamic architecture.

Declining to build the structure on any of the proposed sites along the Corniche, Mr. Pei suggested a stand-alone island be created to ensure future buildings would never encroach on the Museum. The building stands in the sea some 195 feet off Doha’s Corniche. A park of approximately 64 acres of dunes and oases on the shoreline behind the Museum offers shelter and a picturesque backdrop.

Built of fine materials, such as cream-coloured Magny and Chamesson limestone from France, Jet Mist granite from the United States and stainless steel from Germany, as well as architectural concrete from Qatar, the Museum is composed of a five-storey main building and a two-storey Education Wing, which are connected across a central courtyard. The main building’s angular volumes step back progressively as they rise around a164-foothigh domed atrium, which is concealed from outside view by the walls of a central tower. At the top of the atrium, an oculus captures and reflects patterned light within the faceted dome. The desert sun plays a fundamental role, transforming the architecture into a play of light and shadows.

A glass curtain wall on the north side of the Museum offers panoramic views of the Gulf and West Bay area of Doha from all five floors of the atrium. Ceilings are embellished with intricate coffered domes, and perforated metal chandeliers hang in the atrium. Two more lanterns, each 100 feet tall, mark the boat dock on the west side of the Museum, creating a grand entrance for guests arriving by boat.

The galleries, designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte from Paris, France feature dark grey porphyry stone and Louro Faya, a Brazilian lacewood that was brushed and treated to create a metallic appearance, which contrast with the light-coloured stonework of the rest of the Museum. To protect the fragile antiquities on display, the exhibition rooms feature specially designed cases and lighting. Mr. Wilmotte also created custom furniture for the museum, inspired by Pei’s architectural style. The Museum’s education programs are housed in a 29,000-square-foot wing, located to the east of the main building across a fountain courtyard. The Education Wing, scheduled to open late 2009, includes a light-filled reading room in the Museum library, classrooms, workshops, study spaces, and technical and storage facilities. Among the latter is the conservation laboratory, an important new resource for the entire region. Underscoring the central role of education in the Museum of Islamic Art, the Education Wing will host educational and community activities to develop and foster an understanding and appreciation for Islamic art. [text by Marcus Fairs, dezeen.com] Pygmalion Karatzas 19

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MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART PARK

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HAMAD BIN KHALIFA UNIVERSITY Legorreta architects

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Traditionally considered the “living room” of a campus, student centers serve as the hub for both formal and informal interaction among students, faculty and stuff.

The Hamad Bin Khalifa University Student Centre’s services include health care, counselling, housing and recreational facilities interlinked by communal spaces. The designers, inspired by traditional souks and courtyards providing shelter from the exterior, discovered many resemblances between Arab and Mexican architecture. The concrete building with thick sandstone-lined walls provides good insulation to the climate. The sports hall is a steel structure. East- and west-orientated windows shaded with lattice and closed south elevations help avoid solar gain. Heat pipes, sensors and irrigation features are amongst integrated climatic controls. The ‘Helix’ courtyard is a sculpture garden at the heart of the building, designed by artist Jan Hendrix, featuring water jets and 200 individual aluminium plates, creating a breathtaking organic pattern and contemplative courtyard. The local culture of majlis – the traditional gathering place outside of home for meaningful conversations – has also been incorporated in the design by placing seating areas at the natural intersections of the building.

Legorreta + Legorreta statement for the building: “This is a project that will provide a home away from home for all Education City students. It should provide a vibrant environment promoting social and cultural interaction. This multifunctional building will offer diverse services to students in areas such as student health care, student counseling services, financial aid and housing, as well as recreational spaces and ambitious integral complementary programs such as culture and sports.

The main purpose of this urban node is to provide a familiar and relaxing environment where the students will be working together with people from all over the world.”

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QATAR NATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER Arata Isozaki architects

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QNCC is a member of Qatar Foundation. It aims to support Qatar on its journey from a carbon-based economy to a knowledge-based economy by unlocking human potential. It was established in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. His wife, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, is Qatar Foundation’s chairperson.

The building is located on Qatar Foundation’s 2.500-acre campus (masterplanned by Arata Isozaki), which hosts faculties from world-renowned universities to home-grown research centers. QNCC was conveived with a focus on sustainability. The Centre was built according to US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) goldcertification standards.

It featured a 4.000-seat conference hall, a 2.300-seat theatre, three auditoria and a total of 52 flexible meeting rooms to accommodate a wide range of events. It also houses 40.000 sq.m. of exhibition space over nine halls, and is adaptable to seat 10.000 for a conference or banquet.

The tree-like structure is a reference to Sidrat al-Muntaha, a holy Islamic tree. The architect noted: “The tree is a beacon of learning and comfort in the desert and a haven for poets and scholars who gather beneath its branches to share knowledge”.

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GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Legorreta architects

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The School of Foreign Service, of Georgetown University’s Campus in Qatar, is integrated within the northern side of the Education City Campus, masterplanned by Arata Isozaki.

Construction was provided by the Qatar Foundation under the direction of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah. The building is designed by Legorreta + Legorreta with Langdon Wilson as the executive architects. The design brings together similarities with the main campus in Washington, DC and the interpretation of the architects for the Gulf Region.

Legorreta’s design intent was: “to break down the monumentality of the overall building to a more human scale” and thus achieving a more comfortable atmosphere for the students. The composition was done breaking the program into smaller departments in oder to give a village-like character.

The main parts of this 50,093 sq.m. complex include: The Atrium: the main gathering space for occupants and visitors. A three storey height atriums with skylights used daily as food court and to accomodate a banquet seating capacity for 250 people.

The Auditorium: for large events, lectures, convocation and panel discussions, with searing capacity for 340 people.

The Centre for International and Regional Studies: designed to host conferences and meetings with local and foreign delegations, the CIRS is located in an open courtyard within the Academic wing.

The Library: this facility houses one of the most extensive collections of books and material that are available to both the students and the public.

Classrooms, seminar rooms, lecture halls, distance learning center: these rooms comprise the major design areas. They contain the latest in A/V equipment for instructional purposes.

Open Areas, Water Features and Courtyards: open courtyards and open spaces were introduced by the design team to allow natural light to penetrate into the building’s interior. The use of water features both in the interior and also at the exterior of the building also adds to the character of the complex.

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CEREMONIAL COURT Arata Isozaki architects

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The scheme of the project provides a multi-functional, open-air space in which to host events in the capital’s ‘education city’ campus.

Isozaki’s design creates two settings in which to host special events such as graduation ceremonies, lectures and music concerts. the first space is a formal stage area, situated to the south of the site and with a seating capacity of 3,000. a more informal amphitheater-style arrangement can be found to the north of the venue and can accommodate up to 3,000 people.

The ceremonial court has a gross floor area of 1,880 square meters and benefits from a central location within the greater educational campus.

Adjacent to al shaqab academy and at the end of a central green spine, the new architectural intervention consists of two courtyards. these spaces are shown in this photography series and special detail is given to the concrete panel pergola system, which encloses the space on three sides and leads to a stage located in the center of the southern boundary of the facility.

On the northern side of the court there is a pool of water which separates two grand entry stairways, preceded by palm tree courtyards, which are connected via a series of steps and ramps. Another attractive feature are two 30 meter high lighting towers located at the level change between the higher and lower courtyards. The facilities and amenities include private rooms, north and south stage venues and dressing areas for performers. [text by Lynne Myers, designboom.com]

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KATARA CULTURAL VILLAGE Cansult Maunsell architects

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The Cultural Village Foundation is an exceptional project of hope for human interaction through art and cultural exchange – a project made possible thanks to the inspired vision, solid faith and wise leadership of HH Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Emir of the State of Qatar.

Keeping pace with the emerging global culture that emphasises the importance of diversity in human development, Katara Cultural Village is the largest and the most multidimensional cultural project of Qatar. It is a place where people come together to experience the cultures of the world. With beautiful theatres, concert halls, exhibition galleries and cutting-edge facilities, Katara aims to become a world leader for multi-cultural activities.

In line with the goals set forward by the Qatar National Vision 2030, Katara serves as a guardian to the heritage and traditions of Qatar and endeavours to spread awareness about the importance of every culture and civilization and as such, Katara hosts international, regional and local festivals, workshops, performances and exhibitions.

Katara was born out of a long held vision to position the State of Qatar as a cultural beacon a lighthouse of art, radiating in the Middle East through theatre, literature, music, visual art, conventions and exhibitions. This village shall be a glimpse of the future of a world where people of different cultural backgrounds overcome their national boundaries and embrace common causes to promote a united humanity. Katara is where the grace of the past meets the splendour of the future.

Since the year 150 AD, “Catara” was the first and most ancient name designated for Qatar Peninsula in geographic and historical maps. On the map drawn by the geographer Claudius Ptolemaeus in 150 AD, published in 882 AD -1477 AD and later in the Historical Atlas of Islam, the peoples of the Arabian Peninsula in the middle of the second century AD were identified. It also stipulated the geographical location of Qatar Peninsula under the name of Catara, North West of Gerra or near it, and to the west of the town of Cadara.

Our vision is to be a world-leader for multi-cultural activities. Contributing to the achievement of Qatar National Vision 2030, we dedicate every effort to nurturing social development through art and cultural interchange.

We are aspiring to build a community of creative and innovative people, who are aware of their surroundings and are knowledgeable about global cultures and values.

Katara is a place where people share cultures to nurture understanding and peace. In an ever-evolving digitalised global world, our goal is to provide a platform for people of the world to come together and share the wealth of their vibrant cultures, to embrace differences that make our world unique and to discover similarities that unite people regardless of their origin. [text by katara.net]

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CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY Legorreta architects

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Carnegie Mellon College of Business and Computer Science is located at Education City campus. The master plan, designed by Arata Isozaki is a harmonious blend of architecture and exterior spaces. The main feature is the Green Spine crossing the site from north to south. Legorreta + Legorreta was selected to design four universities: Texas A&M Engineering College, Carnegie Mellon Business and Computer Science College, Georgetown School of Foreign Service and HKBU Student Centre.

The Carnegie Mellon College consists of a rectangular volume along the north side, a semi-circular volume on the south side and an atrium in the center connecting to the Green Spine. Semi-public service areas like the food court, library and lounges are in direct relation with the central atrium.

These series of volumes are separated from each other by outdoor courtyards providing daylight to the wings and multiple entrance/connection points all around the site.

This succession of indoor and outdoor spaces creates an environment where teachers and students can interact, incorporating traditional concepts of Islamic architecture such as arcades, courtyards and fountains. The atriums are covered at roof level with pergolas creating a shading play according to the time of the day.

Kevin Lamb, assistant dean for planning operations at Carnegie Mellon in Qatar says “Legorreta uses rich saturated colors for his designs for the sunny climates of Mexico and California, but has done projects all over the world. Legorreta’s architecture is at home in the Gulf Region. University architect Paul Tellers adds “In response to both the hot climate and Gulf building traditions, the new structure will be largely opaque on the south, east and west elevations. Windows will face the three-storey landscaped courtyards that will be carved out of the mass of the building, and deep beams will span over the courtyard and the common areas to keep them in constant shade. The east and west entrances to the pedestrial commons will include water features, another Muslim building tradition.”

The 44,000 sq.m. building will house state of the art classrooms, computer labs and the atrium will be the hub or “living room” of the building. It will include food services, a lounge, an assembly area and a campus walkway that passes right through the building, inviting the entire Education City community into Carnegie Mellon.

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BURJ QATAR TOWER

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The Doha tower, designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel, is a much more elaborate cousin of the famed Burj Khalifa. The tower is an iconic high rise tower located in Doha, Qatar along the gulf city skyline and located on corniche road in the city center overlooks the waters of the gulf– an expanse of blue that can be seen through the filleted circumference of a dome that seamlessly caps the rounded skyscraper. The tower comprises 46 floors above ground, 3 floors below ground and a total gross floor area of approximately 110,000 m². It has no central core, leaving more internal space available to its occupants. The design is unique, the first skyscraper with internal reinforced concrete dia-grid columns, which form a cross shape that connects with the eye-catching cylindrical facade. The design expresses the local culture, connecting the very modern with ancient Islamic designs.

The tower was completed in 2012 and has an approximate built up area of 110,000 square meters including 46 floors above ground and 3 floors below. The massive, rounded cylindrical skyscraper is an expression of the local culture, connecting the very modern with ancient Islamic designs. Recalling shanasheel screens, which are common in the area, the building envelope is comprised of a delicate, lace-like layered façade. This sunscreen takes the traditional Mashrabiya and butterfly-shaped linear patterns and explodes them onto a more massive scale in order to fracture light within every interior volume.

The screens retain their Islamic original purpose to shade the building from high temperatures as well as protect it from the unpleasant sand residue found on glass throughout the region. The design is also the first to successfully employ dia-grid reinforced concrete over the entirety of the building skin. The internal reinforced concrete forms a cross X shape that then connects with the eye-catching cylindrical façade while leaving more internal space within the core for the occupants. Finally the vast green space and vertical garden are the first of its kind in the state of Qatar, which coupled with the beautifully designed and sculpted sunscreen create a pleasant environment to work in. [text by arch2o.com]

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TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING COLLEGE Legorreta architects

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The Texas A&M Engineering College lies within Doha’s Education City and consists of two main buildings, the Academic Quadrangle and Research Octagon, connected by an atrium. In response to the climate, the buildings’ exterior shading elements are oriented for maximum effect, and some facades have a double skin to minimise heat entering through the wall, while others have insulating glass to block UV radiation. Skylights have high performing glass and external and internal louvers to allow natural light but avoid inefficient heat gain. The public spaces are designed as informal meeting places for faculty and students with bridges, arcades, courtyards, fountains and vegetation to create welcoming spaces for interaction and movement around the campus.

The Academic Quadrangle lies to the east and contains classrooms, administration offices and a central tower which houses computer labs, student lounge areas, prayer rooms and a two-storey library. Three-tower volumes project out from the quadrangle to accommodate the lecture halls on the south, classrooms on the north, and the main college entrance on the east.

While the Academic Quadrangle is mainly reserved for teaching, the Research Octagon is dedicated to research on the environment and production and utilization of natural resources. In the Research Octagon on the west of the site are the graduate student and researcher offices and laboratories. The college buildings are designed to provide an interior social life protected from the desert climate. For this, the simple geometric forms of the buildings provide minimum openings on the outside. Inside are central, multistorey courtyards, surrounding patios, and large stairs, encouraging interaction and communication. Surface textures, light, shadow, vegetation and water create comfortable communal spaces. The double skin facades minimize heat gain and allowed the architects to design the exterior skin separately, creating playful facades: the exterior skin of the Academic Quadrangle is a lattice formed with the shape of the college logo, which is also the plan of the building.

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LIBERAL ARTS & SCIENCE COLLEGE Coelacanth + Associates architects

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Education City hosts branches of some of the world’s leading universities.

This building - for liberal arts and science - is the first step of a masterplan for the expansion of its 2’500-acre campus. The design of the two-storey structure is based on three principles. ‘Double roof/double wall’ - responding to the extreme climate, the entire building is wrapped by a secondary skin of GRC panels. ‘Mosaic’ - an arrangement of internal atriums and external courtyards evokes the mosaic-like layout of a typical Islamic city. ‘Geometric pattern’ - a quasi-crystal pattern, based on 90, 60 and 30 degree parallelograms, is used for the facade and aluminium shades.

Located on the shores of the Persian Gulf outside Qatar’s capital, this is a project in line with the expansion of “Education City”. With no existing buildings on site, the context comes from strength of the desert light and the geometries of Islamic design. The double roof and the double skin provide protection against the heat. The outer skin is made of GRC (glassfibre reinforced concrete) panels suspended one metre away from the main volume. By painting the back of the panels yellow, the colour reflects onto the exterior white walls of the main body of the architecture. The expression of the architecture therefore changes continuously. Since this is the first co-education college in the country, views into the FLA are controlled by aluminium panels casting vailed shadows. The wind-catcher tower is a traditional motif in the Persian Gulf and here it provides ventilation and smoke-extraction from the semi-underground parking area. [text by Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the architects, c-and-a.co.jp]

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THE TORCH HOTEL Hadi Simaan architects

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Aspire Tower, also known as The Torch Doha, is a 300-metre-tall skyscraper hotel located in the Aspire Zone complex in Doha, Qatar. Designed by architect Hadi Simaan and AREP and engineer Ove Arup and Partners. The tower served as the focal point for the 15th Asian Games hosted by Qatar in December 2006.

The tower was a landmark of the 2006 Asian Games due to its size and proximity to the main venue, the Khalifa International Stadium.

The final form consists of a 1-to-1.8-metre-thick, reinforced-concrete cylinder (the core), varying from 12 to 18 metres in diameter, encircled with radiating networks of cantilevered steel beams on each floor of its building modules. The modules themselves are composed of steel columns, metal decking, concrete slabs and outer tension and compression ring beams, which support glass-paneled outer walls. The bottom of each module is covered with glass fiber reinforced concrete. Beams, as well as steel struts tying all the structural components together, are bolted through the concrete core and hence are anchored into place, transferring vertical loads from perimeter columns and ring beams to the core. [text by wikipedia.org]

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ASPIRE ANTIDOPING LAB Olague & Solera architects

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Located within Aspire Zone, ADLQ will endeavour to eliminate drug use in all sports and uphold the Olympic ideals of fair play and sportsmanship. In the process we will make sport in all its forms fairer, safer and healthier for all stakeholders, foremost among them athletes. This remarkably designed 3 storeys’ Lab is situated on a 10,000 square meter land, right across from Aspetar. The ground floor hosts all administration staff and the Management team. The 1st floor is dedicated to Anti-Doping testing only as this is the core business of the Lab. The 2nd floor is available for the Toxicology and Multi-Purpose labs. The Life Sciences’ Research Lab is located in the third floor and is open to researchers who are working in similar fields. The building also includes various Meeting rooms and Seminar rooms to serve the purpose of giving lectures and meeting stakeholders and partners constantly. The Lab also has a spacious dining area where staff can spend their Break Hour having a 5 star healthy lunch daily.

The building is a unique glass shape roofed by a huge perforated plane extending over the patio and supported by a forest of fine columns, creating a direct visual relationship between the internal activities and the exterior. The patio with the pool creates a space with domestic features, suited to the extreme climate of this region. A landscaped plaza is created outside to emphasise the building’s characteristics and connect it directly to the surroundings. [text by adlqatar.net]

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ASPIRE DOME & ACADEMY Roger Tailibert architects

Aspire, Qatar’s visionary Sports Academy is a unique learning environment comprising of the largest indoor sports dome in the world, a comprehensive sports education program and unprecedented facilities of international caliber. As an elite sports institute dedicated to developing young athletes to their full potential our facilities rise above standard expectations to offer the very best for the purpose of comprehensive sports training. Every aspect of the institution has been designed to meet the highest international standards in terms of its facilities, equipment, teachers, coaches, staff and student-athletes. The Aspire Dome has the capacity to host 13 different sporting events simultaneously in a climate controlled arena providing student-athletes with unmatched opportunities to train in their main sporting discipline, while also benefiting from easy access to world class facilities for other sports. In addition to a full sized indoor football pitch. Aspire also has seven well-maintained outdoor football pitches. [text by aspire.qa]

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KHALIFA INTERNATIONAL STADIUM Khalifa International Stadium, also known as National Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Doha, Qatar, as part of the Doha Sports City complex. The stadium opened in 1976. It was renovated and expanded in 2005, before the 2006 Asian Games, to increase its capacity from 20,000 to 40,000 seats. A roof covers the western side of the stadium. The eastern side has a large arch, which was used as a platform to launch fireworks from during the 2006 Asian Games opening ceremony. After another redevelopment, the stadium reopened in May 2017. It received a four-star rating from the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), the first in the world to be awarded this rating. [text by wikipedia.org]

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ASPIRE ZONE FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS

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Aspire Zone, also known as Doha Sports City, is a 250-hectare (2.5Â km2) sporting complex located in Baaya district of Doha, Qatar. Owned by the Aspire Zone Foundation, it was established as an international sports destination in 2003 and in the following year an educational centre for the development of sporting champions (Aspire Academy) was opened. The complex contains several sporting venues, mostly constructed in preparation for the 2006 Asian Games.

In 2014 the AZF inaugurated its new Head Quarters with a building located in-between Hamad Aquatic Center and Aspire Park, and it overlooks the Zone greenery and scenery. [text by wikipedia.org and aspirezone.qa]

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AL HITMI OFFICE BUILDING

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This high-quality commercial building complex is divided into two wings.

The east wing comprises two basements, a ground floor, a transfer level, six rentable office floors and a roof garden.

The west wing also comprises two basements, a ground floor and a transfer level, but has seven rentable office floors and a roof that is used to house the complex’s chillers. The middle area comprises an atrium with seven bridges connection the two wings.

The project was inspired by imagery of stone formations cantilevered over a body of water, to create a metamorphic link to Arabian Gulf. Clad in dark tinted glass, polished and textured natural stones and/or ceramic tiles, the office massing is designed to be perceived as monolithic blocks suspended over water. [text alhitmigroup.com]

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WEILL CORNELL MEDICAL COLLEGE Arata Isozaki architects

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The structure comprises two 200-meter long halls linked by bridges housing faculty and student lounges. There are four lecture halls in three-dimensional geometric shapes in the central courtyard. Contemporary in concept and building materials, the construction nonetheless features many references to traditional Islamic and Gulf architecture from geometric patterns on exterior and interior walls to wind towers in the courtyard.

Once inside, the halls present long vistas that change in aspect as the sun moves east to west during the day. Over 40 feet high and paved in cream limestone, they are light, airy and spacious – an impression maintained in the faculty and student lounges, with their walls of glass, and in reception areas facing courtyard gardens outside the South Hall. [text by qatar-weill.cornell.edu]

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ZIG ZAG TOWERS

MZ & Partners architects

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The West Bay Lagoon Plaza proposes two identical towers whose structure is obtained through a rethinking of the rules, manipulating basic forms in an unconventional way to produce buildings that are functional, yet also visually striking, favoring simplicity and denying decorative gestures.

Located on the seaside, the towers are facing the sea, and are separated in the centre by a platform, functioning as a geometrical conduct between the various buildings. This platform functions as a public plaza, accommodating a variety of public activities, like a food court, shopping area. [text by the architects]

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TORNADO TOWER

CICO Consulting Architects & Engineers

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Soaring over the West Bay district, Doha’s Tornado Tower rises high, overlooking the Bay and most of its high rise neighbors. With its simple form and gentle curves, the tower offers a memorable, elegant silhouette that is recognizable from all vanishing points. Sitting strongly on a pristine plaza, Tornado Tower tapers gently inwards towards its slender mid-height point, then outwards again towards its summit. The name Tornado was developed by the design team to describe the distinctive, hyperbolic shape of the building. This form is enhanced by a unique lighting system, designed especially for the tower by renowned light artist Thomas Emde. His kinetic light sculpture, by its movement of light, suggests the torsion of a tornado.

The lighting system is programmable and is capable of producing over 35,000 variations of lighting patterns to create a stunning visual effect at night. To construct a relatively lightweight building, a tubular steel “diagrid” structural external envelope was employed. The diagonal pattern of the skin increases the stiffness of the lateral force-resisting system of the perimeter walls. The concrete core of the building is connected to this perimeter structure with clear spanning steel beams topped with composite slabs creating a flexible, column-free office space at each floor level. All floors are also designed with state of the art, raised flooring systems to maximize flexibility for office space planning. Located on a flat site of 18,500 sq.m., the building occupies only around 3,000 sq.m. of this, leaving free space around it to enhance the striking visual appearance of the building’s form and shape. The circular footprint of the building, with a diameter of 60 m. at the ground floor, includes a ground level restaur-ant, support facilities and a bank. Sixteen high-speed passenger elevators swiftly serve over 84,000 sq.m. of office space throughout the building, a first floor cafeteria and conference rooms and the 27th floor recreation area which includes a gym and a juice bar. The building is accompanied by 1500 car parking spaces housed within three levels of underground basement parking.

Due to the shape of the building, the total lettable office space available on each floor varies from between 1,260 to 2,400 sq.m. per floor. This offers high flexibility in both the size of office space available and the specific sub-division layout of office space within those areas. Surrounded by 360-degree view terraces, the topmost three floors of Tornado are dedicated to VIP offices. The top level of the VIP floors also has direct access to a helipad. The design of the building is an honest one in that the perimeter structure is an integral part of the design expression—it is on show with the exposed tubular structural system of the façade clad in part with aluminum composite panels. High performance glass and internal sun shading devices ensure that cooling costs are reduced and architectural detailing ensures a relatively airtight building, reducing air leakage to a minimum. In addition rainwater is recycled and used for irrigation purposes. Fire safety measures include dedicated fire lifts and extra stairs. The use of a steel perimeter structure, rather than the more usual concrete structure predominantly utilized in the region, makes for much more slender structural members, maximizing the uninterrupted panoramic views across the city and beyond. The artistic and entertainment value of the kinetic sculpture of the external façade lighting makes the building equally as impressive after dark as during daylight hours and creates a lasting impression not only from on land but also from out at sea where its light show takes on the appearance of a lighthouse denoting a safe and reassuring haven. In this way, the building is important to the wider community not only as a place to work but also as a work of art, prompting discussion and debate. [text by skyscrapercenter.com] Pygmalion Karatzas 247

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MSHEIREB ENRICHMENT CENTER Allies & Morrison architects

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The floating platform is an educational facility situated on Doha’s West Bay waterfront. The structure includes gathering spaces for public events including a Majlis, a gallery, a small theatre, and an outdoor shaded terrace.

The design reflects features and characteristic of traditional Qatari homes in the ceilings, panels, doors, shutters, and some of the furniture, decorated with calligraphy, inscriptions, patterns and carvings from the rich history of the region. It accommodates workshops, seminars, conferences, and other cultural and educational events; including an exhibition that showcases the history of Doha, specifically the Msheireb area and its ambitious future development plans.

[Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture]

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QATAR FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS OMA / Rem Koolhaas architects

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The Qatar Foundation is a charity whose stated goal is human, social and economic development of the Arab country, through scientific research.

The new headquarters of the Foundation located at the Education City campus includes two buildings: a 57-metre-high office headquarters and a three-storey study centre. The headquarters building comprises a large cube with a facade of precast white concrete. This is punctured on all four sides by a grid of small windows, creating a pixellated image of the Qatar Foundation’s logo – a Sidra tree, which grows wild across the country, so has become a popular national symbol. Inside, the building provides 29,000 square metres of office space. This is divided up into three areas: the Executive Tower, the Staff Tower, and Her Highness’s wing, named in honour of the foundation’s co-founder Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned. These are all accessed via a grand central atrium. This space is naturally illuminated through a concrete and glass roof that matches the exterior walls, and is dominated by glass and aluminium. Glass bridges traverse the atrium’s upper levels, while mezzanine balconies offer views between storeys. The building also includes a large sheltered terrace, which surrounds a series of amenity spaces on the seventh floor. The threestorey Strategy Study Center stands adjacent to the headquarters building. Built from a mix of regular and white concrete, this top-heavy building provides office and conference facilities. The project was overseen by OMA partner Iyad Alsaka, who heads up OMA’s Dubai office. Much of the design was developed by Nigerian architect Kunlé Adeyemi, who worked at OMA for over a decade before leaving to set up his own office, NLÉ. [text by Amy Frearson, dozen.com] [the project was under construction during my visit in 2013]

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SIDRA MEDICAL CENTER Pelli Clarke Pelli architects

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Sidra Medicine is a world-class hospital and ambulatory care center offering state-of-the-art clinical services and biomedical research. This academic medical center is part of the Qatar Foundation’s Education City campus, which hosts branches of American universities.

The 380-bed hospital has dedicated divisions for children’s health, women’s health, and adult acute care. The identity of each specialty hospital is articulated by a sweeping, sail-like atrium form with dedicated drop-off and entrance zones from both street level and underground parking level.

Natural materials, including wood, granite, and marble, are used throughout the lobby and public spaces to create a warm and welcoming environment.

The inpatient rooms for each hospital are organized around three healing garden atria. Glass-enclosed elevator lobbies overlook the lobby atrium and healing garden atrium, orienting visitors and patients within the building. The atria are clad in ceramic tile, enamel-coated metal panels, and high-performance glass with stainless steel accents and sunshades, utilizing a variety of measures to filter and soften the strong sunlight.

The 37,160-square meter (400,000-square-foot) Ambulatory Care Clinic frames a historic house, preserving the heritage of Qatar’s built environment. Directly tied to the main hospital by bridges on three levels, the clinic building also connects back to the Weill Cornell Medical College, providing a direct link between education and practice. The center is also planned to include translational research facilities and a central services plant.

The complex will include structured above grade staff parking for 1,000 cars, and underground public parking for 1,000 cars. The design treats the parking garages as an important part of the public experience. Rather than a utilitarian transit zone, visitors parking their cars pass an engaging space with sculpted arch forms and an undulating ceiling plane. Projected future phases will accommodate the future underground walkway to Weill Cornell Medical College. [text by the architects] [the project was under construction during my visit in 2013]

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QATAR NATIONAL LIBRARY OMA / Rem Koolhaas architects

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The physical impact of books has been important in terms of my entire formation. The first books that fascinated me were the fairy tales of Grim illustrated by Gustave Doré. I still remember the physical nature of those books as one of the strongest memories of my entire life. In the 1950s I would spend time in the library of the Stedelijk Museum – almost like in a living room. My first intersection of writing and architecture was Delirious New York, which I wrote in the New York Public Library, going through microfilms, old newspapers, and books. I made one particular seat my own, almost day and night.

One similarity between architecture and bookmaking is that both have unbelievably long traditions but are also forced to be of the moment, constantly updating in order to survive. We have designed many libraries and built a few. Libraries, as a typology, are so exceptionally suitable to produce radical architecture. Apparently, there is a paradox that such a traditional form produces inventive solutions, and that is the case for the Qatar National Library. The building is 138 meters long, equivalent to the length of two 747s. This is not to boast about scale but because from the beginning the idea was to make reading as accessible and as stimulating as possible to the population of Qatar as a whole. We thought we could achieve that by creating a building that was almost a single room, not divided in different sections, certainly not into separate floors.

We took a plate and folded its corners up to create terraces for the books, but also to enable access in the center of the room. You emerge immediately surrounded by literally every book – all physically present, visible, and accessible, without any particular effort. The library is a space that could contain an entire population, and also an entire population of books.

Qatar National Library contains Doha’s National Library, Public Library and University Library, and preserves the Heritage Collection, which consists of valuable texts and manuscripts related to the Arab-Islamic civilization.

The public library will house over a million books and space for thousands of readers over an area of 42,000 m2. The library is part of the Education City, a new academic campus which hosts satellite campuses from leading universities and institutions from around the world. [text by the architects] [the project was under construction during my visit in 2013]

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Pygmalion Karatzas studied Architecture at the Technical University of Budapest (1991-95), Urban Design at HeriotWatt University in Edinburgh (1995-97), and practiced architecture for 12 years. In 2006 he participated in the first ‘Ecovillage Design Education’ training-of-trainers course in Findhorn organized by the Global Ecovillage Network and endorsed by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. Since 2013 he is focusing systematically on architectural and fine art photography, producing a portfolio of 250+ architectural, commercial and artistic projects from Europe, USA and Middle East.

His images are regularly featured in Greek and international media, have received 86 distinctions from leading global photographic competitions and the prestigious Fulbright Artist Scholarship award 2015-2016, and are part of private and public collections. Since 2014 he is the photo editor for the Danish Architecture Center and a contributing photographer to Arcaid Images London, iStock Getty Images, and Adobe Stock. Divisare Atlas of Architecture ranks him among the top 100 architectural photographers worldwide. He has participated in exhibitions and fundraising in Greece, Italy, France, UK and USA, and produced 10 book collections, with the ‘Integral Lens’ book receiving 3rd place at the PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2018 and shortlisted at the Trieste Photo Days Book Award. ‘Nortigo architectural abstractions’ received 2nd place at the Moscow International Foto Awards 2019.

In affiliation with the University of Tennessee Knoxville and professor Mark DeKay, their paper on a multi-perspectival approach to architectural photography was presented at the 3rd Integral European Conference; at the 5th Trieste Photo Days Festival and in 2019 became part of an academic mini-term / traveling workshop curriculum. Through photojournalistic reportages, collaborations with architectural firms, businesses and organisations, as well as selfinitiated projects, he exhibits his passion and dedication to the study, representation and dissemination of the built environment and its broader role as a cultural asset. www.pygmalionkaratzas.com

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Morphogenesis vol.2 part 2 - Doha Icons

by Pygmalion Karatzas Credits Publisher: Pygmalion Karatzas Photography Author & Editor: Pygmalion Karatzas Photography: Pygmalion Karatzas First edition: 2014 Second edition: 2020 Š 2020 Pygmalion Karatzas All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher.

The publisher and author of this book and all products related to this book have used their best efforts in creating this product. Neither the publisher nor the authors make any representation of warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of this edition and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions.

Image Licensing: High-resolution images are available for editorial and limited commercial use.

Image Copyright: Rights-Managed Š Pygmalion Karatzas.

Edition Type: Open edition print.

Fine Art Prints: Images are available in gallery-quality fine art prints on various sizes, media and framing options.

For further information on usage licensing and prints: pygmalionk@hotmail.com www.pygmalionkaratzas.com Pygmalion Karatzas 267

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