PROJECT

Msheireb Downtown Doha

Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD) is the world’s first sustainable and smart downtown regeneration project. It revives the old commercial district in downtown Doha with a new architectural language that is modern yet inspired by traditional Qatari heritage and culture. Our team provided multidisciplinary engineering and detailed architectural services from concept to the issued for construction stage for phases 1A, 1B and 1C.

The team also assisted in preparing all tender documents, including the bill of quantities (BOQs), scope of work, vendor lists, cost estimates, and evaluation of tenders. During construction, we provided supervision consultancy and technical advisory services.

MDD is 753,000 square meters of mixed-use urban development encompassing retail space, housing, office and administrative space, public space, schools, hotels, governmental buildings, and religious buildings. It was the first downtown regeneration project embedding smart city technology and connectivity from the beginning. Since its launch, smart city concepts have evolved to become a ubiquitous element of city transformation. MDD has become a template for developing a new model of urban living that can be exported everywhere.

Phase 1A, the Diwan Amiri Quarter, includes the Diwan Annex, the Amiri Guard headquarters, the National Archive, a cultural center and a museum. Phase 1B comprises mixed-use spaces, including retail, residential and office buildings, constructed over a three-level basement. It features a mosque, 180 residential units, and a five-star, 11-story hotel with 196 rooms. This phase also includes the region’s largest covered public square, Barahat Msheireb. Phase 1C comprises mixed-use retail, residential and office buildings, a central utility plant, a K-12 school, a facilities management center, and communications center and control room for the entire site.

Client

Msheireb Properties

Location

Doha, Qatar

Services

Commercial Buildings

Mixed-Use Facilities

Industry

Commercial, Retail & Institutional

Awards

Qatar Sustainability Awards 2020, Green Office Building Award 
GCC Award for Municipal Cooperation 2020, first place 
Smart City Award, 2018  
Kahramaa’s Tarsheed Awards 2019, Hospitality Building Category for the Mandarin Oriental Doha Hotel 

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Amiri Guards Building, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Atrium, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Colonnade, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Entrance to Townhomes, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Art Center M7 Building, Phase 1B

  • Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1C

  • Entrance to Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Townhouses Internal Courtyards, Phase 1C

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Amiri Guards Building, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Atrium, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Colonnade, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Entrance to Townhomes, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Art Center M7 Building, Phase 1B

  • Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1C

  • Entrance to Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Townhouses Internal Courtyards, Phase 1C

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Amiri Guards Building, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Atrium, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Colonnade, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Entrance to Townhomes, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Art Center M7 Building, Phase 1B

  • Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1C

  • Entrance to Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Townhouses Internal Courtyards, Phase 1C

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Amiri Guards Building, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Atrium, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Colonnade, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Entrance to Townhomes, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Art Center M7 Building, Phase 1B

  • Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1C

  • Entrance to Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Townhouses Internal Courtyards, Phase 1C

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Amiri Guards Building, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Atrium, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Colonnade, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Entrance to Townhomes, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Art Center M7 Building, Phase 1B

  • Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1C

  • Entrance to Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Townhouses Internal Courtyards, Phase 1C

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Amiri Guards Building, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Atrium, Phase 1A

  • Diwan Annex Colonnade, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • National Archives, Phase 1A

  • Entrance to Townhomes, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1B

  • Art Center M7 Building, Phase 1B

  • Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Outdoor Spaces, Phase 1C

  • Entrance to Townhouses, Phase 1C

  • Townhouses Internal Courtyards, Phase 1C

Innovations at the Heart

Barahat Msheireb, the public square at the heart of MDD, features a retractable canopy spanning the entire square between the north and south buildings. The canopy is operated using a series of elaborate tension ropes and motorized arms positioned at the top of the adjacent buildings and controlled from a central command room. 

The Barahat also includes outdoor spaces known as cool pools, which are cooled via systems of radiant floor cooling, displacement of slow-moving air from bollards, and fixed low-E coated tensile fabric canopies. The combination of these systems allows the temperatures within the cool pools to be within 26 degrees to 32 degrees Celsius for most of the day during the summer. This cooling system was designed so that effectiveness is achieved with a minimal amount of cooling energy.