Preserving the identity of Qatar through its architectural heritage

euronews (in English)

From energy efficient superstructures to repurposed old buildings or the award-winning smart city of Mshereib, Qatar is reaping the rewards from laying the foundations of a greener future.

Transcript

00:00 (wind whooshing)

00:02 (upbeat music)

00:03 - It is very important to keep all this old features

00:06 for the fire station, because it is a legacy.

00:09 - We aim to change the way people think

00:12 of how to live in an urban city and urban downtown.

00:15 And we always aim to raise the bar and raise the standards.

00:18 (upbeat music)

00:20 - Hello, and welcome to Qatar 365.

00:24 I'm Laila Humaira, and on this episode,

00:27 we take a look at how Qatar is embracing

00:30 sustainable urban living.

00:32 From energy efficient superstructures

00:34 to an award-winning smart city,

00:36 the country is reaping the rewards

00:39 from laying the foundations of a greener future.

00:42 But first, I went in search of one

00:44 of Qatar's oldest buildings that's been given a facelift

00:48 and a new purpose.

00:49 (upbeat music)

00:52 From the house of everyday heroes

00:54 to a haven for artists all around the world,

00:57 this is Doha Fire Station.

01:00 Built in 1982, it was once the home

01:03 of Qatar's first civil defense authority.

01:05 - The fire station here used to be

01:08 one of the spectacular building.

01:10 It was like one of the building

01:12 who have got like the architect language of the '80s,

01:16 like the Sheraton Hotel,

01:18 the main building of the post office.

01:20 So it has this type of design,

01:23 which is reflecting that era.

01:25 - Today, the fire station is a contemporary art space

01:28 for self-expression, an avenue for exchanging diverse ideas

01:33 and a meeting ground for the creative community.

01:35 - The vibe here we are creating

01:37 through the indoor exhibitions, outdoor exhibitions,

01:41 murals around the building.

01:43 It's really putting you in a space

01:45 where there's a lot of inspiration,

01:48 a lot of beautiful vibe you have it here.

01:50 - While many areas of the fire station

01:52 have been refurbished into new workspaces,

01:55 there are some original elements purposely kept

01:58 as a reminder of the building's identity,

02:01 like this drill tower, which once served as a facility

02:05 for routine exercises and training.

02:08 - It is very important to keep all these old features

02:12 for the fire station because it is a legacy.

02:15 The younger generation,

02:16 they can see how used to be the fire station.

02:19 - The tower is now an imposing structure

02:22 with a colorful facade,

02:24 a beacon of expression and creativity.

02:27 It's also something the museum hopes to embody

02:29 with its artists in residence initiative.

02:32 - Every year we are receiving like hundreds of applications,

02:36 but we are accepting 15, half of them Qataris

02:40 and the other half for the people

02:42 who's living in Doha, the expat.

02:45 So this type of like merging the experience

02:50 and inspiration from different backgrounds of artists

02:54 and exchanging all this experience,

02:57 supporting the artists to understand

02:59 and to know different technology, ideas.

03:03 - Someone who's benefited from the program

03:06 is artist and filmmaker, Mohamed Al Hamadi.

03:09 - As an artist in residence within the seventh program

03:12 from last year's, it's just an amazing opportunity.

03:16 It just broaden your potential,

03:19 open up your scope and helps you reach out

03:24 the idea that you have in your head.

03:27 - For nine months every year,

03:28 the initiative provides artists like Mohamed

03:30 a studio space, mentorship opportunities

03:34 and guidance from curators.

03:36 - It's always good to be among a network of artists

03:39 or a network of creatives.

03:41 In general, creatives feed into each other.

03:45 - For the Doha Fire Station,

03:47 its legacy is quite literally cemented in its walls.

03:51 A celebration of an honorable purpose in its past life,

03:54 reborn to nurture the next generation

03:56 of talented individuals, all heroes in their own right.

04:01 - To use a building, this is a very important.

04:03 This building have got a lot of effort in that time,

04:07 supporting and defense on the community, saving the people.

04:12 And now I've got another sort of role to inspire

04:16 and to create art.

04:18 - It's hard to talk about architectural marvels in Qatar

04:25 without talking about Misharab.

04:27 Known as the world's first sustainable

04:29 downtown regeneration project,

04:31 Misharab is one of the world's smartest cities

04:34 that's about to get even smarter.

04:37 To find out how, I met Ali Al-Khawari,

04:39 the CEO of Misharab Properties.

04:44 So Ali, just in the last couple of months,

04:47 there's been so much buzz about Misharab Properties

04:49 and Misharab Downtown Doha.

04:51 Your company has been named as one of the most

04:53 innovative companies in the region by Fast Company.

04:56 And Misharab was highlighted at COP28

04:59 as the shining example of how a sustainable

05:02 and futuristic city should look like.

05:04 How are you building on these achievements

05:06 to further develop the business in line with Qatar's goals?

05:10 - We consider ourselves as one of the Qatari

05:13 real estate development leading in the sustainability side.

05:17 It was new back to that time,

05:19 but thanks God nowadays it becomes very norm

05:21 and everybody is trying to adapt

05:23 and raise the bar itself step by step.

05:26 Because of its location and the connectivity,

05:28 like the metro station and the tram itself around the city,

05:32 that make it a hub for all type of generation,

05:35 especially the young generation.

05:36 - Let's talk about Misharab as a smart city.

05:38 You've just signed this huge new deal with Microsoft

05:41 to boost the high-tech capabilities of the city.

05:45 Can you tell us more about this partnership

05:47 and how it will once again transform Misharab?

05:50 - We would like to enhance the experience in the cities

05:53 for individual, for guests who's coming to the city

05:55 just to experience what's going on in the city itself.

05:58 Plus the retailer owner,

06:00 we would like to have different experience.

06:02 Plus the commercial and also the resident

06:05 who lives in the city.

06:06 Technology is being updated in a state of day by day

06:10 and now minutes by minutes actually.

06:12 And we need to cope with what's going on in the worldwide.

06:15 If you look at our mission,

06:17 we aim to change the way people think

06:19 of how to live in urban city and urban downtown.

06:23 And we always aim to raise the bar and raise the standards.

06:25 - Just a short tram ride away is the Baraha,

06:28 the heart of Misharab,

06:30 where its most outstanding features are on full display.

06:34 And I'm here to meet Fatima Fauzi,

06:36 who heads Misharab Properties' sustainability team

06:39 for a look at what makes urban living

06:41 particularly special here.

06:43 So every bit of Misharab Downtown Doha

06:47 was built with intention and purpose

06:50 down to the very details and motives.

06:53 But what are some of your favorite parts of Misharab?

06:57 - Tough question.

06:57 You're right.

07:00 Every detail in Misharab was imbued

07:03 with significant and total thoughts of doing it.

07:07 Now, starting from, let's say, the top,

07:09 you can see this retactable roof

07:11 where you can open it in summer and close it in winter,

07:15 really giving a beautiful perspective to the Baraha

07:19 throughout the season of the year.

07:22 Cascading from down there,

07:23 you could look at the really fixed shades of the building,

07:27 which also add to the overall system of cooling the Baraha.

07:31 Another favorite feature in the Baraha

07:34 is the geometry pattern that you could see everywhere.

07:37 Now, the architects have shown a really skill

07:40 in utilizing these details.

07:43 The pattern is used in stone flooring.

07:46 You could also see it engraved on the stone wall.

07:50 And the same pattern is also being used

07:52 as a stencil in the glass.

07:54 This small detail unify the space

07:57 really very, very beautifully.

07:59 - This is an unconventional convention center

08:05 designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki.

08:09 The iconic Qatar National Convention Center's facade

08:12 features two intertwined cedar trees,

08:15 which span 250 meters.

08:18 The native Qatari tree represents growth and survival,

08:21 even in the harshest of environments.

08:24 Adel Halim takes us inside the largest exhibition center

08:28 in the Middle East,

08:29 designed with sustainability at its core.

08:34 The Qatar National Convention Center

08:36 is where modern design meets cultural heritage.

08:39 The architectural marvel is symbolic

08:41 of the country's ability

08:42 to incorporate contemporary aesthetics

08:44 without losing touch with its roots, literally.

08:48 Just as it provides cover to the building's glass facade,

08:51 the cedar tree historically provided shade and shelter

08:54 to travelers and scholars alike.

08:57 - The symbol is exactly the strong roots

09:00 within the Qatari culture.

09:02 So the cedar tree was able to grow in the desert,

09:06 and it's normally a very difficult environment

09:09 to grow for a tree.

09:09 So this symbolism is representing

09:12 the strong roots of this country.

09:14 - And to help fertilize those roots,

09:16 sustainability played a big role in the design process,

09:19 from energy-saving programs to efficient water usage.

09:23 The QNCC is designed to be one third more efficient

09:27 than a similarly designed building.

09:29 - We have a unique system that collects, filters,

09:33 and treats the gray water to be used within our washrooms

09:38 and also through our irrigation system.

09:41 We also use very efficient water fixtures

09:45 that helps us reducing by 40% the usage of the water.

09:50 - And with so many sunny days in Doha,

09:52 solar panels were an obvious addition.

09:56 - We have roughly 3,500 square meters of our roof

09:59 covered by solar panels.

10:01 Actually, this helps us to offset

10:03 roughly 1,100 tons of carbon emission,

10:07 and also covers almost 12% of our need.

10:11 - There are exhibition halls, auditoriums,

10:14 meeting rooms, and a ballroom,

10:16 all things you'd expect in a convention center,

10:18 except for one massive, creepy, crawly creature.

10:22 - Now talk about a conversation starter.

10:24 This iconic giant spider greets visitors here

10:27 at the convention center.

10:28 But while Louise Bourgeois' "Maman" is a towering,

10:31 intimidating sight upon first glance,

10:34 go deeper and there's much more to the story.

10:36 This nine meter tall sculpture is an expectant mother

10:40 made of marble, bronze, and stainless steel,

10:42 and explores the idea of motherhood.

10:45 It's also Bourgeois' tribute to her own mother,

10:47 who she lost at the age of 21.

10:49 - It represents the maternal protection

10:52 and also the intricate nature of a relationship.

10:56 It gives us, let's say, a big dimension

11:00 and a big symbolism to our main foyer.

11:03 Actually, it's a well-known sculpture all over the world.

11:06 - And soon after playing host to the world's media

11:08 for the 2022 FIFA World Cup,

11:10 the QNCC hosted 114 events in 2023.

11:15 - All the things that we do,

11:16 it's, let's say, not only for the QNCC sustainability scope,

11:22 but also to align our ideas to the country strategy

11:26 for the long term.

11:28 - Whether it's energy efficient megastructures

11:32 like the QNCC, or breathing new life into older buildings

11:36 like the Doha Fire Station,

11:38 Qatar is committed to beautifying a landscape

11:41 that's pleasing to the eye and respectful to the environment.

11:45 We hope you've enjoyed this episode,

11:46 but that's all the time we have for now.

11:49 For more, check out euronews.com

11:51 and connect with us through our hashtag.

11:52 Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time

11:55 on Qatar 365.

11:56 (upbeat music)

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