Q Life Magazine Q Magazine December 2018 | Page 11
Innovate & Inspire |
What does this mean in practice? Al Kuwari says:
‘Msheireb Properties spent three years researching
Qatari architecture and urban planning all over the
world with the most respected experts in the industry, in
order to realise an architectural language rooted in the
best of the past that may be preserved for and by future
generations.
‘The Qatari tradition is reflected by the design of
buildings, materials used, lay-out and preserving the
names of streets. And the Heritage Quarter will revive
Doha’s historic district.’
The project brings alive the culture and traditions
of Doha prior to the country’s rapid economic
development. With the relocation of the Qatar Financial
Centre, it will be the new financial hub and downtown,
embracing business and community in equal measure.
The area will have integrated smart technologies, super-
fast connectivity, and state-of-the-art health and safety
and environmental controls.
Q
atar is a nation built on age-old traditions.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in Doha’s
latest development, Msheireb Downtown Doha.
It brings together the best of the past with modern
innovative technologies and thinking, marking the re-
emergence of Qatari heritage in the heart of the city.
Ali Al Kuwari, Acting Chief Executive Officer at
Msheireb Properties, explains the genesis of the project,
located in the oldest part of the capital.
‘Msheireb Downtown Doha was born of a desire by the
nation’s leadership to redefine the course of the city’s
development and return to the cultural roots upon which
Doha was founded,’ he says.
‘Msheireb is the world’s first sustainable downtown
regeneration project, reviving the old commercial district
with a new architectural language which is modern yet
inspired by traditional Qatari heritage and architecture.’
Transport links are key, including Doha’s metro. Business
travelers are also catered for with options that include
the Al Wadi Hotel MGallery Doha, Park Hyatt and the
Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
The new area is located in the heart of Doha, 20 minutes
from the airport, and 15 minutes from the city centre,
next to Souq Waqif and the Corniche.
The development has been carefully planned to be
low-impact environmentally. Al Kuwari says: ‘It is the
first sustainable regeneration project of a downtown
in the world, and all our buildings are characterised by
their water and energy efficiency, leading us to be a very
green and sustainable project. Once all of our buildings
become operational, we expect that Msheireb Downtown
Doha will be the most sustainable city district in the
world.’
‘That isn’t our only world-first. Not only is it the first
smart city in Qatar, our research has confirmed that
it is one of the smartest city districts in the world,
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