The art of abstract

A rendering of the exterior of the 433,847m2 Doha Festival City.

Doha’s projects all feature different designs despite a common theme of going back to nature.

Doha’s interior design is going back to nature. While one project will be using natural elements, another uses an abstract design to get similar results.

The design team for the 433,847m2 Doha Festival City, DP Architects (DPA), is planning to use the environment in its interior design, while the 5,475m2 Al Hitmi building focuses on the same elements to give it a modern edge.

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The Doha Festival City held its ground breaking ceremony last month and includes a retail centre, two hotels, IKEA, an indoor-outdoor entertainment centre and car showrooms.

Phase one of the project, which includes IKEA, is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2012. Phase two will see the project complete in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Mike Lim, associate director and May Chan, associate director-Middle East, DPA, which has its headquarters in Singapore, said the design includes concept zones, meant to provide different experiences, divided into nature’s elements of wind, water, wood and earth.

These elements will feature in the retail areas in four interior zones of the Doha Festival City – Water Concourse, Garden Promenade, Rainforest Broadwalk and Fashion Galleria.

Lim said: “The first zone is wind, which as you know is a colourless element. The design will show this through the movement of light using weight mobiles made of acrylic, metal pieces and plastic paper that reflect light under movement of air and wind in the atrium.”

Continuing with the theme, the next zone is water. “This zone will be shown in the design by way of a combination of graphic water with the use of LED and projectors together with a water cooled roof or atrium skylight under the Middle East heat,” Chan said.

“The next zone, which is wood, will be designed with a rainforest theme which is exposed to the elements with irrigation and adventure features within the mall.

And the final zone, which is Earth, will become reality with a neatly cropped European garden setting which includes a semi outdoor cafe and street shopping experience,” said Chan.

DPA plans to use local and regional materials to design the interiors. Importing materials from abroad will be their last resort, which is their nod to the current trend of sustainable architecture.