Browsing 'museum' News

byShabina S. Khatri
Culture
byShabina S. Khatri
Culture

One Works

Rendering for the Transport Education Center

Qatar Rail has picked an Italy-based architecture firm to design an upcoming Transportation Education Center (TEC) in the country.

The center will include exhibition space and also serve as a recreational facility for the public.

It is expected to encompass the rapid changes Doha has undergone in the past few decades, and encapsulate its “past, present and future,” One Works said in a statement.

One Works

Rendering for the Transport Education Center

The firm won a Qatar Rail design competition regarding the TEC last month.

In a statement, Qatar Rail’s Senior Director Mohamed Timbely said: “One Works has perfectly interpreted the spirit and the goal we set for ourselves from the competition’s outset.”

The firm is also no stranger to the Doha Metro project, as it is already working on the finishes for seven Red Line North stations.

Desert fort inspiration

Speaking to Design MENA, One Works partner Leonardo Cavalli said its design was inspired by desert forts.

“We wanted to enhance Qatar’s heritage in every key element of our project, as well as in every single detail by recognizing how Qatar can look to the future by virtue of its past.”

The publication reports that the TEC will be located between Lusail Boulevard and the Al Qassar Metro Station.

The complex will include offices, a theater and a rooftop restaurant. Also on the roof will be an outdoor park space that can host expos on public transportation.

No timeline has been announced for the TEC. The first phase of the Doha Metro is expected to launch to passenger traffic in late 2019/early 2020.

Thoughts?

byVictoria Scott
Culture
byVictoria Scott
Culture

(All photos copyright Mohammed Ismail)

The Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Museum, a well-known private collection of over 15,000 items located in Al Samriya west of Doha, has set up a new extension in West Bay.

Photographer Mohammed Ismail visited the collection recently and sent us these photos.

The museum – which is on the sixth floor of City Tower, part of the Renaissance Hotel complex in West Bay – is designed to offer business travelers and tourists a taste of Arab, Iranian and Qatari culture.

There are over 200 carpets on display hailing from countries like Iran, Turkey, India and Egypt, plus ceramics, knives, ornate doors and furniture from Qatar and the surrounding region.

Officially inaugurated last month, it is only viewable between 9am-5pm by appointment at the moment, which can be made by calling +974 4422-3899 or emailing [email protected], but make sure to specify that you’re visiting the West Bay branch.

A spokeswoman for the museum said they hoped to have it available to visitors without appointments sometime in the next few months.

Visitors wishing to see more of Sheikh Faisal’s extensive collection can take a trip out to his large museum located in a fort on the Dukhan road, near Shahaniya.

Have you been to see the new museum? Thoughts?

byDoha News Team
Business News Photos
byDoha News Team
Business News Photos

Crystal Ball – Light of the Future (Qatar)

As a nod to Qatar’s growing commitment to sports, the country is mulling the construction of a sports museum in the shape of a giant spinning crystal ball.

“Crystal Ball – Light of the Future” is the brainchild of Danijel Koletić, owner of Croatian public relations firm Apriori Communications, which sent us these concept photos.

The project, designed by Croatian architects Vedran Pedišić of Sangrad and Erick Velasco Farerre, is currently in the initial planning stages and, if accepted, would be unveiled in time for the 2022 World Cup, a firm representative said.

It will include a shopping center and boast a sustainable and green design with an emphasis on efficient energy operation.

According to Apriori:

“Crystal Ball – Light of the Future” is an object with a purpose, a symbol, a landmark … a task from which we derive the architectural design. The museum’s shape, simple and complex at the same time, comes from the synthesis of Qatar’s history (pearl fishing) and its future (sport). 

These important elements are reflected through a sphere‐shaped building “museum” hovering over a semi-buried structure, the “Oasis City,” a conceptual interpretation of the Arabic city, which will be a horizontal development that houses sport‐oriented stores, restaurants, offices and leisure zones for the public throughout the year.

Architecture website Inhabitat adds:

Wanting to incorporate light with architectural design, the orb transforms into a glowing installation as soon as the sun goes down. During the day the, the exterior takes on an iridescent effect, glittering with the rise of the sun and filtering ample daylight into the interior.

Well, now we’ve seen everything!

Thoughts?