Arabian Expansion

Tim Makower sketches in Doha's newest souk
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TM: It’s fantastic to be involved with Solidere. What they have done in Beirut is magnificent. It’s really a benchmark for urban design around the world…I’ve hardly ever seen such good master planning anywhere in the world.

There are many parallels between the scale and integrity and harmony between the Solidere area of Beirut with what is intended in Doha.

Back to Middle East connections…

TM: Right. Our other major connection to the Middle East is in Abu Dhabi, which hasn’t come to anything concrete yet. We did essentially what was a paid feasibility study for a project in Abu Dhabi, which is now underway with another architect. It’s called Al Falah, which is a big satellite community in the desert.

We submitted a winning design but, sadly, another architect was chosen and our design is a piece of history now. What we did with Aldar at the time was very enjoyable and very edifying; we hope to get more involved in Abu Dhabi in the future.

In fact, just at credit crunch time, we were on the brink of starting a piece of Jumeirah Gardens in Dubai for Meraas but that, of course, was put on hold. We’re fascinated by the whole region, there’s a lot of it we don’t know. Those bits we’ve seen are giving us a glimpse into the region and Doha seems like a perfect place to have found a base.

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TM: If you take a typical modern development—whether it’s in Beirut or Doha or anywhere—it’s generally a block of flats; it’s a European model. That’s not local typology; it’s not uniquely suitable for this climate. Similarly, go to a street full of suburban villas, you’ll see it’s not building on the special character of this place—it also doesn’t perform as well.

We’ve been working to set an architectural language which is uniquely of Qatar and rooted in the traditions of this place and the wider region. Many of our initial designs have been successful because we are fundamentally contextual architects—we produce a different response to each different site.

Can you identify an ‘ethos’ to the Heart of Doha project?

TM: The spirit of the master plan by EDAW and Arup will very much affect our architecture and will be based on the balance between formality and informality and the interweaving of the grids. It’s a very rich plan; a pattern made of grids but not exclusively grids.

There will be an overlay of the soft lines—the historic lines—and the irregularities that are produced when these lines are interwoven. In the Islamic city, the irregularities are an integral part of the character. Those irregularities give the city an organic quality and traditional form.

In fact, that is a theme running through the Heart of Doha project and one that continues to run through all of our work.

All of your work or just high-profile Islamic architecture commissioned by rulers of countries?

TM: Even in Britain, we’re always looking for eccentricities which are irregular yet significant. If we have a site that is irregular, we’ll make something of it. We won’t deny the bit that isn’t square, we’d embrace that non-square area because therein lies the character of the site and part of what contributes to its history.

Which aspects of traditional architecture are you looking to incorporate in your Middle East work?

TM: Over-sailing roof structures. Big over-sailing cornices are a theme in our guidelines and are beginning to become a theme throughout our work.

Indented arcades and cantilevered balconies, both of which can be used to shade the buildings as well as the streets below them, are very typical forms and are essential to the spirit of local architecture. They are absolutely timeless—and functional. We like to say that our job is to decode traditional architecture and reinterpret that language for the future.

Major themes running through the character of a place are overhangs and shade and the way buildings can reflect history and make outdoor spaces habitable.

Too many cities in the Middle East aren’t set up to accommodate their users. For example, if you were in a shaded arcade on a hot day, you’d be hot, but you wouldn’t be fried by the sun.