DOHALAND sets about bringing the old centre of the capital back to life

DOHA, May 24, 2009: Today, the much heralded future plans for the historic centre of Doha were revealed, showing a sensitive but dramatic new vision for the country's capital city: a project called  Heart of Doha designed to reinvigorate the sense of community, heritage and tradition almost lost in the country's economic boom.

DOHALAND, a subsidiary of Qatar Foundation, launched its signature project, the Heart of Doha, at the Four Seasons Hotel on May 24, 2009. The Heart of Doha is a collective vision of the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, supporting the principles of progress and tradition, freedom and responsibility, new and old cultures, innovation and stability.

"The Heart of Doha will be a shining example of Qatar's determination to innovate, not just for innovation's sake, but with the end goal of improving quality of life and ensuring that heritage and culture carries on as a country grows and evolves. Qatar has a magnificent history of rich culture and tradition, while at the same time, a present day that exhibits a country that has evolved into a progressive, global leader in a variety of industries. The Heart of Doha will bridge the past and present, and will be as Her Highness says, 'A rising homeland that confidently embraces modernization and proudly observes tradition'," said H.E. Dr Abdullah Al Kubaisi, Vice Chairman of DOHALAND.

The Heart of Doha project will be a long-term endowment for the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, and will be of lasting, sustained value to the people of Qatar. The project is the result of DOHALAND researching and decoding a new architectural language that takes you to the past, yet is modern. DOHALAND looks at development of structures that are suitable for our environment, which in turn recalls the legacies and traditions that were an intrinsic part of the Qatari culture.

"Qatar has a wonderful architectural history and we are delighted to be able to revive it and share it with the world.  Our ancestors didn't see the house as just a house - it was a family member.  The houses in this area were built by the hearts of the people and the human touch was most important. Family members would use their bare hands to build the home, leaving behind their handprints to illustrate the uniqueness of each house, and each family," said Eng Issa M. Al Mohannadi, CEO of DOHALAND.

The Heart of Doha bridges the gap between the distinct Doha of the past, and the leading, global city it is today. A city within a city that merges the best characteristics of the past with the modern technologies, this project maps what made Qatar's architecture and urban planning not only unique in the past, but also sustainable and beneficial to the community.

On the occasion of the launch of the Heart of Doha, DOHALAND will also be holding a two-day symposium on 'Architecture and Urbanism: Rooting Contemporary Developments in Local Heritage', on May 27 and May 28, 2009, during the 4th Qatar Real Estate Exhibition (QREX 2009). DOHALAND is the Official Sponsor of the QREX exhibition to be held at the Doha Exhibition Center from May 25 to May 28, 2009.

The Heart of Doha project is the development and regeneration of the 35 hectare site located in Inner Doha, which is the historic origin of Doha. The project will put people and communities first and encourage social dynamism to help individuals explore their potential and flourish. In the Heart of Doha, DOHALAND will build sustainable, innovative communities that enrich our individual lives, promote environmentally friendly living, and rediscover the heritage and culture that makes a place unique.

DOHALAND aims to create a dynamic local economy, ensuring self-sufficiency in school and basic amenities, and facilitating community interaction and social exchange in a common, sophisticated public area. To encourage 'a meeting, not a melting, of cultures,' as envisioned by Her Highness.

"Through our first project, we are recreating and regenerating the most important part of old Doha - such as Kahraba Street - the place from where the rest the city took birth and also the first street to get electricity in Qatar (which is how it gets its name).  Also in this area is Abdulla Bin Thani Street, Musherib Street and the first Eid ground in Doha.  With passing time, the area lost a lot of its rich community to migration out into other regions, leaving much of the historic neighbourhood neglected. Today, we aim to restore the lost lustre to a location that is close to our hearts, we want to bring it back to life," continued Eng Issa M. Al Mohannadi.

Development in the Heart of Doha will be based on DOHALAND's five pillars of Heritage and Culture, Innovation, Sustainability, Enrichment and Environment. The use of certain aspects of traditional Qatari architecture featuring proportion, simplicity, space, light, layering, ornament and response to climate will be seen in the new architecture of Heart of Doha.

The project aims to blend the past and the future. Innovation is linked to a sustainable vision for Inner Doha, creating a lasting place which can evolve in response to peoples' changing expectations and needs without losing its ethnicity.

"Our approach to environmentally friendly building will set new standards for green building.  Our ancestors did not need state-of-the-art technologies to create buildings that were sustainable and environmentally friendly - they took advantage of what they were given - the wind, the sun, the sand and the local building materials.  The Heart of Doha will utilise the same elements that we have learned from our ancestors, in their modern context," continued Eng. Issa M. Al Mohannadi.

The primary objective of the project is to reverse the pattern of development and growth of Doha in recent decades which has tended towards isolated land uses with urban sprawl and heavy reliance on car transport. The area will be planned in such a way as to reduce car use and congestion, while improving connectivity across the wider city area. The Heart of Doha will even have an entire underground city so people can enjoy pedestrian areas and peaceful squares with minimal disruption from traffic and deliveries.

"What is innovative is that it is truly being built for the benefit of people. All decisions are made with two considerations: reviving our heritage and culture and providing a place that allows people to grow and flourish.  In the Doha of the past, human interaction was much more vibrant and it encouraged a culture that allowed people to flourish. We want to encourage people to interact with each other, persuade them to walk shorter distances so there is limited usage of cars in the area, which is why everything here will be within walking distance from each other. We want to avoid island communities, thus the Heart of Doha supports interlinked communities and retains the vibrancy and colour of activities in this area, and will make this place a place to live, work, meet and entertain," said Eng Issa M. Al Mohannadi.

The buildings in the Heart of Doha will be positioned in clusters and with façade articulation to respect the prevailing climate rather than compete against it. The orientation and profiles of the buildings are planned to take advantage of the prevailing offshore northerly winds.

The development will be of an inner urban scale, relatively dense, with blocks of interconnecting buildings interspersed with a network of squares and courtyards. Landscaped streets will run between the major blocks of the development, while smaller access lanes and pedestrian routes will criss-cross more randomly affording greater protection from the intense sun. Colonnades will line many of the streets to provide shading and a grand central square will become a new destination in Doha.

The project master plan observes a series of sustainable design objectives in order to create a robust urban framework while observing traditional architectural values within a modern design. The buildings are designed to make maximise use of microclimatic effects to enhance thermal comfort, ensure maximisation of water and energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions across the site. It will also promote sustainable waste management and implement a sustainable procurement policy.

Through the Heart of Doha project, DOHALAND is embarking on a mission to enhance and contribute to the social dynamism, cultural heritage and quality of life in Doha. The project will provide a dynamic modern lifestyle that exists in harmony with its surroundings, and empowers the human potential to grow and flourish.

-Ends-

For further information or to request an interview, please contact:
Jawaher Al Khuzaei
DOHALAND
Email: jalkhuzaei@qf.org.qa
Mobile (974) 556 8992

Chatura Poojari-Abbasi
Haggie Hepburn
Email: chatura.abbasi@haggiehepburn.com
Mobile: (974) 572 3657

© Press Release 2009