Building a future: Ibrahim Jaidah

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We’ve heard a bit about Doha Land. Can you elaborate on this? 

IJ:  I was part of the jury for the international design competition for Doha Land. The idea is to remove some of the dilapidated parts of the city, which were built in the 1970s, and rebuild them into a true ‘heart’ of Doha.

The Qatar Foundation started a company actually called Heart of Doha, which is going to begin slowly by building small blocks of buildings that they’re hoping will create a proper city centre and encourage some of the local population to move back to the city. It will include residential areas, pedestrian walkways, social interaction space and surface trams for easy transportation. Right now, some of the buildings are in the detailed planning stages and very soon you’ll start to see demolishing.

In some Gulf cities, the tendency is to bring in scores of international architects to create an international, quasi-Arabian vernacular. Does development in Qatar follow this path or does the architecture tend to be more authentic?

IJ:  Even though there is an influx of international signature architects here doing some beautiful things—the likes of IM Pei and Arata Isozaki immediately spring to mind—the tendency here to preserve the identity is a serious issue.

Whether it’s renovating the old or building some of the new government buildings, part of the brief is that they have to reflect the local vernacular. By no means is this an obstacle that limits one’s ability to progress into modern architecture, instead it presents a challenge to develop a contemporary approach the local vernacular.

Everywhere you look, you can see that a style is being born as we speak. It’s a contemporary Arabic architecture.

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You usually take an avid interest in the development of architecture students in Qatar. Do they generally understand the importance of preserving the Qatari vernacular in the buildings they design?

IJ:  They do. Virginia Commonwealth University just celebrated their 10th anniversary a few months ago. That is an interior design and fashion programme. Despite a huge history which includes a library of Arabic interiors, the international interior designs still haven’t been developed enough to have their own identity.

As far as architecture goes, it has really just started. Qatar University has an architectural engineering programme at the moment and now, they are seriously discussing a five-year, RIBA or AIA certified degree. We’re talking about a proper Western-style architectural degree. I’m actually going over to Qatar University today to address the students who are looking to transfer from the architectural engineering degree to the longer programme.

What was your first impression? Is it going to be similar to a Western architecture degree?

IJ:  I was asked to comment on the curriculum and, once I saw it, I was jumping out of my seat with excitement. I was thinking, ‘Finally, we’re going to have a proper school of architecture in Qatar’.

I made the point that we need more people in the private sector—from contractors to designers to urban planners—that can make design decisions about everything from sidewalks to curbs to neighbourhoods to urban plans.

There are people out there making these decisions everyday but someone with an architectural degree will definitely make an impact. The need is there. I am training a lot of students both in my office and in the universities and I’m always stressing the development of the contemporary Gulf architecture. We’re at a very important and exciting place right now in Qatar. There is so much happening all around us. It’s a good place to be a student of architecture.

In some cities around the Gulf, there is a real desire to have the next record-breaking building. Do you think Qatar will eventually become embroiled in these types of competitions?

IJ: Qatar looks at this sort of competition a bit differently. I don’t know if ‘ego’ is the right term but the tendency to break records isn’t really that strong here. We’re doing 100-storey buildings but, at least from the clients brief, it’s never the intention to build the tallest building in the city or the region.

Interestingly, the records Qatar is breaking are ‘The Largest Gas Producer in the World’ and things like this. In terms of the future of the country, those are beautiful records to break. That’s not to say that what is being done in Dubai and other places in the Gulf is wrong. What has happened in Dubai in particular is a great phenomenon. I honestly believe that the person responsible for creating such an amazing city in only 30 years will certainly manage to ride out the economic storm.

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