The New Architecture of Qatar

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Doha Tower - West Bay

Chapter 02

Located on the Corniche in West Bay, the Doha Tower is one of the most striking new buildings in Qatar. The noted French architect Jean Nouvel, who has also been called upon to build the Qatar National Museum at the other side of the bay, designed it. Born in 1945 in Fumel, France, Nouvel studied in Bordeaux and then at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1964–72). From 1967 to 1970, he was an assistant of the influential French architects Claude Parent and Paul Virilio. His first widely noticed project was the Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris, 1981–87, with Architecture Studio). He also designed the Quai Branly Museum (Paris, 2001–6) and the Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2006), amongst many other significant projects. Current work includes the new Philharmonic Hall in Paris. Nouvel received the RIBA Gold Medal in 2001 and the 2008 Pritzker Prize. The new Doha Tower has a relation to two earlier projects by Nouvel. The first of these, the Tour Sans Fins (Paris, 1989), was never built. The 420 meter (1,378 foot) cylindrical tower was to have risen on a site near the Grande Arche at La Défense, on the axis of the Champs-Elysées in Paris. The base of the cylindrical tower was to have been just 43 meters (141 feet) in diameter. Nouvel’s other circular building, the Torre Agbar, was built on the equally symbolic Avenida Diagonal in Barcelona in 2000. At a height of 142 meters (466 feet), the Torre Agbar also has a base diameter of about 45 meters (148 feet). Both of these projects question the largely orthogonal, curtain-walled design of most towers. A circular plan with structural elements arrayed on an exterior ring allow for freer floor plans and views. The Doha Tower thus has a cylindrical plan measuring 45 meters (148 feet) in diameter. The lightning conductor at the top of the tower reaches a height of 238.1 meters (781.2 feet). There are 41 stories of rental office space with an average floor area in the range of 1,000 square meters (10,764 square feet) per level, with a net office height of 3 meters (9.8 feet) throughout. Each floor provides panoramic views toward the gulf, the bay, the dense urban perspective of West Bay, or even the desert, according to orientation. The total floor area of the tower is 60,000 square meters (645,835 square feet), including three basement-parking levels for 870 cars. The China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) was the main contractor. Dar Al Handassa was the construction phase project manager, and Terrell International was the engineer.29

Doha, Qatar West Bay Skyline View

166 The New Architecture of Qatar

Al Shaqab Academy

Chapter 02

Doha, Qatar West Bay Skyline View

Chapter 02

Doha, Qatar West Bay Skyline View

Al Shaqab Academy

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Doha, Qatar West Bay Skyline View

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Doha Tower - West Bay

Chapter 01

Doha Tower - West Bay

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Doha Tower - West Bay

Chapter 01

Doha, Qatar West Bay Skyline View

Chapter 02

Liberal Arts & Science Building

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Doha, Qatar West Bay Skyline View

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Doha Tower - West Bay

Chapter 01

Doha Tower - West Bay

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Doha Tower - West Bay

Chapter 01

Doha Tower - West Bay

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208 The New Architecture of Qatar

Student Center

Chapter 02

Doha, Qatar West Bay Skyline View

Chapter 02

Doha, Qatar West Bay Skyline View

Student Center

The New Architecture of Qatar 209

Doha, Qatar West Bay Skyline View

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