M+ Museum in Hong Kong has unveiled the first full-scale retrospective of the renowned Chinese-American architect leoh Ming Pei (1917-2019), widely known as I. M. Pei. Located in the West Kowloon Cultural District at Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture, the exhibition will be open to the public from June 29, 2024 - January 5, 2025. “I. M. Pei: Life is Architecture” showcases Pei’s career, spanning seven decades across the globe.
As part of the Design Doha 2024 Biennial, Glenn Adamson and Péter Tamás Nagy present the exhibition “Colors of the City: A Century of Architecture in Doha” investigating the architectural evolution of the capital of Qatar based on multiple global influences that characterize it. Running until March 30, 2024, the exhibition offers a journey through Doha's architectural history featuring various styles such as Classicism, Art Deco, and Modernism, contemplating the Qatari adaptations of these styles developed by architects from Europe, America, the Middle East, and South Asia.
Renowned sculptor Richard Serra, known for his monumental steel structures that reshaped the landscape of contemporary art, passed away at the age of 85 at his residence in Orient, N.Y. His groundbreaking works, characterized by massive tilting corridors and spirals of steel, offered viewers a unique experience, inviting them to navigate through and around the imposing forms to fully comprehend their essence. Because of this invitation to explore space, materiality, and site, the artist has been long-recognized in the architectural community, earning him the Architectural League of New York President’s Medal in 2014, becoming the first artist to receive the honor.
For centuries, arid environments have solved the problem of light, privacy, and heat through a statement architectural feature of Islamic and Arab architecture, the mashrabiya. Crafted from geometric patterns traditionally made from short lengths of turned wood, the mashrabiya features lattice-like patterns that form large areas. Traditionally, it was used to catch wind and offer passive cooling in the dry Middle Eastern desert heat. Frequently used on the side street of a built structure, water jars, and basins were placed inside it to activate evaporative cooling. The cool air from the street would pass through the wooden screen, providing air movement for the occupants.
Similar to the Indian jali, the vernacular language also offers a playful experience with daylight while still maintaining a certain degree of privacy. Traced back to Ottoman origins, the perforated screens protected occupants’ from the sun while simultaneously letting daylight through in calculated doses. Although the mashrabiya was a statement in arab and Islamic architecture languages, it wasn’t until 1987 that the archetypal element began appearing with a revised contemporary application.
Last Monday I got on a Berlin to Doha flight, a usual route given how Qatar has positioned itself as an effective hub connecting east and west. But this time Doha was not the connection, it was the destination.
A series of recent projects showcase the direction that the emirate is building towards, based on its heritage and the richness of its desert and coast, while focusing on culture and education, aiming for a sustainable development model. Again, its status as a hub facilitates global events such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup or the 2023 Doha Horticultural Expo. All of this has led to a growing number of remarkable architectural projects in the country that I was eager to explore, from the National Museum of Qatar by Jean Nouvel, the Museum of Islamic Art by I.M. Pei, the Qatar National Library by OMA, its Metro network by UN Studio or the Msheireb Downtown District by Allies and Morrison, AECOM and Arup, a compact walkable district that set an example for urban development in the region.
Establishing a platform in the Arab world, Design Doha 2024 debuted its inaugural edition in Doha, Qatar. Facilitating dialogues between designers, the event challenges the misconception that the Arab world is composed of a singular culture. It highlights, therefore, the diversity of populations, landscapes, and histories it encompasses.
Centered on "Arab Design Now," a regional survey showcasing the works of over 70 Arab designers, featuring 38 commissioned pieces, Design Doha is running from February 24 to August 5, 2024. ArchDaily had the opportunity to talk to Rana Beiruti, curator of the main exhibition, during the event's opening, to grasp the significance of the biennial and delve into some of the key installations, exploring the stories behind these interventions, learning about the designers involved, and gaining insights into their creative processes.
Doha is the capital of Qatar and the county’s most populated area, accommodating more people than the rest of Qatar combined. Located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, Doha is a relatively young city, founded in the vicinity of another settlement, Al Bidda, sometime during the 1820s. In recent years, the city has seen rapid population growth, an image reflected in the architectural landscape. During the 1960s and 1970s, many of the old districts in Doha were demolished to make space for new developments, while several schemes have been deployed to advocate for the preservation of the city’s cultural and architectural heritage.
In 2022, Qatar welcomed the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, one of the most anticipated sports events of the past year, held in an Arab country for the first time. With many stadiums built in or around Doha, the country prepared extensively for the event, yet concerns were raised due to the hot climate and the extensive adaptations needed to host a sporting event of this scale. In 2024, the city is hosting the inaugural edition of Design Doha 2024, a new Biennial showcasing over 100 Middle Eastern and North African designers, running from February 24 to August 5, 2024.
Qatar Museums has just revealed the roster of designers and exhibitions for the inaugural edition of Design Doha. Running from February 24 to August 5, 2024, Design Doha is a new Design Biennial showcasing over 100 Middle Eastern and North African designers. The announcement outlines six exhibitions launching during the first week, spotlighting innovation within Qatar and the region at large.
Spanning continents and cultures, architecture-focused events serve as platforms for the gathering of diverse groups of professionals to share innovations and embark on dialogues regarding some of the most pressing matters faced by our profession. Embodying the spirit of collaboration, highlighting local cultures and practices, and fostering open debates, this year’s list of events covers a diverse range of biennales, forums, city-wide celebrations, international fairs, and awards.
From the year-long celebration of the World Design Capital in the neighboring cities of San Diego and Tijuana, to Qatar's inaugural Design Doha Biennial, starting this February; from Spain’s celebration of public spaces during Concéntrico 10 to locally-engaging biennales across Eastern Europe, these global conventions, exhibitions, and celebrations strive to bring together the architecture and design communities to shape together the future of the built environment.
Doha, the capital of Qatar, is the residence of more than 90% of the country's population, which amounts to about 1.7 million people, with over 80% being professional expatriates. In its historical past, Doha was primarily a fishing and pearl diving town, characterized by numerous traditional individual houses until the mid-1960s. Modernizing the city occurred mainly during the 1970s, although its pace slowed in the 1980s and early 1990s. However, Qatar has recently emerged as one of the world's fastest-growing economies, lending significant geostrategic importance to Doha.
The country's development vision revolves around reducing dependence on natural resources and embracing a knowledge-based economy encompassing international universities, high-tech industries, IT services, and advanced producer services. Much of the coastline, including the corniche, has been artificially constructed. Several notable areas contribute significantly to the evolving character of the city. The city’s contemporary architecture has been captured through the lens of photographer Pygmalion Karatzas.
Reports show that authorities have begun dismantling Stadium 974 after it hosted seven matches during FIFA World Cup, with six group games and one Round of 16 knockout matches. It was also the only stadium built for the World Cup without air conditioning, so it only hosted evening matches. According to the BBC, construction workers moved on the site on 9 December to “take the stadium out of tournament mode.” The structure was designed to be the first FIFA-compliant stadium that can be fully dismantled and re-purposed after the tournament ends. While Qatar called this a “beacon of sustainability,” experts warn that the real sustainability of the scheme depends on several factors, including when and where the stadium will be reused.
After years of preparation, the 2022 World Cup, one of the most anticipated global events of this year, was finally launched. The quadrennial international men's football championship is being held for the first time in an Arab country, Qatar, from the 21st of November to the 18th of December 2022. Ever since FIFA announced that Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup back in 2010, preparations for a total of 8 stadiums have been in full force, especially since it will be held in a country with critical climate conditions.
The internationally recognized artist Olafur Eliasson has inaugurated his most recent public art installation in Doha, Qatar. The installation, titled “Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day”, can be reached by diving through the rugged desert landscape northwards from Doha, past Fort Zubarah, and the village of Ain Mohammed. The artwork is visible from afar, but it is best experienced when approached on foot. Its hospitable shadows reward the journey.
