Qatar is not immune to the Gulf-wide competition to build tall buildings as a symbol of wealth and development, but it is also trying to set itself apart, some panelists at a recent roundtable discussion have argued.

The Construction Week Online panel, which brought together representatives from architecture firms Tangram Qatar, Woods Bagot and engineers from the WSP Group, highlighted $5.5 billion Msheireb project as a key development for the country.

CWO reports:

Gurminder Singh Sagoo, head of business development and marketing for WSP Middle East, added: “Msheireb is a clear example of a how to wow without going tall. It will be interesting to see how Qatar evolves and if they want the world’s tallest tower”…

Karim Benkirane, regional managing principal for Woods Bagot: “People need to be proud of the city they live in. Musheireb will be a tourist attraction, but [the high rise area of] West Bay won’t. People will want to go there.

“There are very few nations in the world who can attest to trying to accomplish something as radical as Qatar.”

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Sam Agnew