DOHA: City of Play, a project prepared by UK-Qatar team, has won the Unlimited Doha Design Prize 2016, which had the participants on a week-long stay here. The winning entry has offered a profound insight into the past and future of urban communities in Doha.
The team comprised Alex Scott-Whitby, Ming Teong, Omer Can Aksoy, Gizem Kahraman and Deena Al Terawi. The winning team gets a grant of £15,000 to further develop the project proposal.
The contest was organised by British Council under the patronage of H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, in partnership with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.
The winning project proposed a chain of street transformations in the form of new play spaces to humanise and revitalise the historic fabric, thus achieving an inclusive, accessible and deliverable proposal and a sign-post towards the re-birth of living urban heritage in this much-loved part of Doha.
A total of 21 finalists from the UK, Qatar and other GCC states took part in the final stage over a week-long stay in Qatar. Drawing attention from Qatari, regional, and UK architects, the event was wrapped up with a presentation of the final proposals at the Doha Fire Station, followed by the selection of the winning team.
The announcement followed a gala dinner to felicitate the winners and participants, and applaud the efforts of partners and supporters. The participants formed teams and developed ideas for a project based around the theme of ‘The Open City’. They focussed on themes such as mobility, and movement through space and accessibility.
They focussed their research on the areas of Al Doha Al Jadeed and Al Ghanem Street. To provide context and insight into the areas, they visited Msheireb Downtown Doha (a 31-hectare site which has been redeveloped), Msheireb Museums, and Msheireb Arts Centre (MAC) amongst others.
“We congratulate the winning team for its exceptional work in developing the theme ‘The Open City’. The winning team is getting a grant of £15,000 to further develop the project proposal, and will gain further prominence in leading international events,” said Frank Fitzpatrick, Director British Council Qatar at the gala dinner.
“Such initiatives are in line with our vision to boost urban development in a prosperous modern city that is committed to clean and safe environment. We saw very innovative ideas presented by young architects from the GCC and the UK, and were inspired by their approach to develop the concept of ‘The Open City’,” said Mohamed Ahmed Al Sayed, Director of Doha Municipality.
“This initiative promotes spirit of creativity and encourages innovative practical solutions in raising the quality of life. This comes in line with our vision for the 2022 FIFA World Cup as we look at the award as an opportunity to motivate development and build capacities,” said Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery &Legacy.
“The projects submitted exceeded our expectations, and we congratulate the winning team. Needless to say that all participants are already winners for being on this prestigious stage, and lending a hand to shaping a better future for the city of Doha,” emphasized Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Museums.
“The last 10 days have been an incredible experience. Being in Doha with such a diverse group has meant that the conversations, arguments and ideas have been not only fruitful but inspiring. I’ve had a brilliant time, made some really amazing friends and am very excited to continue working on the “City of Play” with my team and the stakeholders in Doha,” said Ming Teong, member of Scott Whitby Studio on behalf of the winning team. The Peninsula
