Cultural Forum | Doha, Qatar | 2017

Architects: John McAslan + Partners
Associate Architects: Burns & McDonnell
Client: Msheireb Properties, Doha, Qatar
General Contractor: Turner International
Photographers: Edmund Sumner, Hufton + Crow

The aim of the overall Msheireb Downtown Doha development which covers 31 hectares (76 acres) has been to revive the old commercial heart of the city.

The QR20 billion Msheireb project fuses traditional Qatari heritage and aesthetics with a contemporary architectural language and sustainable modern technology.

The project has been driven by Msheireb Properties’ Chairperson, Her Highness SheikhaMozaBint Nasser, the aspiration being to create built environments that reflect the culture and aspirations of the Qatari people.

The mixed-use development comprises more than 100 buildings encompassing commercial, residential, retail, cultural and entertainment areas. 

The first completed phase, referred to as the Msheireb Heritage Quarter, includes several significant schemes designed by John McAslan + Partners – the Msheireb Mosque, the four Msheireb Museums and the new Cultural Forum.

The Cultural Forum is the anchor-piece of the original Msheireb masterplan which began the process of defining the sensitive redevelopment of the city centre.

Fusing Qatari urban and domestic traditions with innovative design, the new 19,500 sqm Cultural Forum occupies a significant city block, forming the eastern edge of the Msheireb Heritage Quarter's principal civic space or 'baraha.'

The new building continues the 'cultural spine' extending from the historic Souk Waqif all the way into the heart of the Msheireb Development.

The scale of the building reduces to the east, responding and respecting the Msheireb Heritage Quarter and the significant historic buildings which have been adapted into the Msheireb Museums.

These new facilities together with the Msheireb Mosque create a significant cultural quarter at the heart of the historic city.

The Cultural Forum is a welcoming and open place, functionally, creatively and urbanistically – a dynamic civic hub bringing together Qatari and international artists, performers and the public.

Comprising two theatres of 500 and 150 seats each, 3 art-house cinemas, temporary exhibition spaces, an education hub, artist and performances studios, an outdoor sky theatre and a roof-top restaurant, the design of the Cultural Forum layers activities and spaces in an innovative and imaginative manner.

Conceived as an extension of the adjacent public square, the significant cantilever at the main entrance allows the public space to flow into the building.

The architecture reflects the solidity, mass and interlocking volumes found in traditional Qatari architecture.

Indeed, it is conceived as a massive stone block, from which spaces, routes and courtyards are carved or voided.

An atrium forms the centre of the building and is surmounted by a skylight and an Islamic-patterned screen to diffuse light and produce subtly shadowed internal volumes.

The atrium is surrounded by a physically dramatic series of processional stairs.

This light dappled environment, reminiscent of the neighbouring historic Souk Waqif, offers a vibrant forum for the arts in which Islamic and modern architecture are seamlessly combined.