Head for Heights

Maibusch believes that Doha's high-rise development has been more controlled than that of Dubai, for example.

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With its spiky cluster of iconic towers reflecting in the calm water of the Gulf, Doha’s high-rise skyline is one of the most striking features of the city. Yet the cranes are a reminder that this panorama is far from static. Like many cities around the world, Doha is the middle of a tall-building boom.

The epicentre of tall-building activity is the West Bay area by the corniche, which contains seven of the city’s ten tallest completed structures. Quite remarkably, the skyline has changed beyond recognition since the seemingly recent mid-Noughties.

Philip Oldfield, lecturer in Sustainable Tall Buildings at the University of Nottingham in the UK, elaborates on the dramatic transformation of the Doha skyline. “Only one of the current ten tallest buildings was completed before 2006, so the other nine were completed in the last five years.”

Yet Oldfield is quick to point out this is a global trend. “More tall buildings were completed in the first decade of the 21st century than in the whole of the 20th century.

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It is fair to say we are in a golden age of tall-building construction, in spite of the financial crisis. There has been a massive rise in the number of tall buildings thanks to advances in modern structural engineering, and the dramatic forms that are apparent in places like Qatar will continue to appear in the future,” he adds.

He believes that the skyline could be very different by the time of the World Cup in 2022.

“There are several towers under construction in Doha that are over 200m and many are at the proposal stage. I would not be surprised to see a big change in the Doha skyline by the time of the World Cup.

This could be a combination of towers that are currently proposed as well as brand ones. After all, 11 years is plenty of time to design and build a tower from scratch. But it is difficult to predict what will happen.”

William Maibusch, Qatar representative for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), agrees that the skyline will see further transformation.

“Yes, it will continue to develop, just like it has been rapidly developing over the past six or seven years. There is a lot of growth and opportunity for development in Qatar. It is fortunate that Qatar has thrived from the oil and gas industry and the skyline indicates that this is the place to do business.

I believe the towers are not just for show people need places to work and live.” Even though the tall buildings have emerged quickly, Maibusch believes that Doha’s development is more controlled than Dubai.