Following Qatar's ambitious museum-building project to further promote cultural institutes in the country, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums has announced that OMA, Herzog & de Meuron, and ELEMENTAL will be designing three new museums in Doha that explore the themes of Islamic art, contemporary art, and evolution of the automobile industry respectively.
Built along the Lusail Expressway, Herzog & de Meuron will design Lusail, a museum that explores the Middle East and Islamic Art across large gallery spaces, a library, auditorium, and other public facilities. The structure will display an extensive collection of paintings, drawings, imagery, sculptures, and scripture spanning across four large floors. Rem Koolhaas of OMA will be designing the Qatar Auto Museum, a structure that features 40,000 sqm of permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, a vehicle restoration center, children's playground, driving simulators, and other car-related activities, all of which highlight the evolution of cars and their influence on the Qatari culture.
The building is a kind of vessel that inside has a complex topography, a clash of fragments of different places and functions. What we have learned during this process, to make space for that aspect of dialogue, is what will make the project important for Qatar and for us. -- Jacques Herzog
Chilean Pritzker Laureate Alejandro Aravena of ELEMENTAL and landscape designer Günther Vogt will be designing The Art Mill, a contemporary museum with exhibition and performance spaces. In 2017, ELEMENTAL won the bid for the project through a competition in 2017. During the discussion, Aravena explained how the firm is "trying to trigger some consequences for local industry even before construction starts", explaining that "the Art Mill will not just be a perfectly finished object but an opportunity for young designers, artisans, craftspeople in Qatar to come together to deliver the knowledge they have accumulated and contribute to the building, so that it not only houses a great collection but expands to more popular audiences".
The news was announced a few days after the inauguration of the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum during a panel discussion at the Doha Forum, an event that focuses on Qatar’s creative economy and future prospects. Her Excellency was joined by architects Alejandro Aravena and Jacques Herzog, along with fellow panelists, artists, and prominent entrepreneurs and sports and cultural figures.
No further details have been announced concerning when the projects will break ground or be completed.
News via Qatar Museums
