Contemporary architecture of high-rise buildings in Doha – the capital of Qatar

Jerzy Szołomicki

jerzy.szolomicki@pwr.edu.pl
Wrocław University of Technology; (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1339-4470

Hanna Golasz-Szołomicka


Wrocław University of Technology; (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1125-6162

Abstract

The article presents elements of architectural and construction analysis of selected high-rise buildings from Qatar Doha, located in the West Bay business district and the Aspire Zone sports complex. Analyzing the Doha architecture, it can be said that it is now a rapidly growing metropolis, which can be considered as the most advanced architectural city in the world, even compared to Dubai. The construction boom caused the building of skyscrapers, sports facilities, and iconic museums. The first part of the article draws attention to how Doha has joined the world's most exciting cities over the last several years due to the rapid economic development resulting from the discovery of huge oil and gas fields. The turning point was the organization of the XV Asian Games in 2006. As a result of the economic success of these games over 100 tall buildings were planned to be built in the West Bay business district and adjacent districts. The architectural development of the city could not have taken place without the participation of prominent foreign architects such as Jean Nouvell and Ieoh Pei. Contemporary Qatar architecture can be defined as a mix of European, Asian, Islamic, Arabic architecture and local trends. However, the most recognizable buildings in this country are iconic skyscrapers with unique geometry which are characterized in the second part of that article. Among the skyscrapers should be mentioned first of all: Doha Tower, Al Bidda Tower, Tornado Tower and Aspire Tower located in the Aspire sports complex. These buildings are currently the world-famous Qatar high-rise buildings.


Keywords:

Qatar architecture, high-rise buildings, Diagrid construction system

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Published
2018-01-09

Cited by

Szołomicki, J. . and Golasz-Szołomicka, H. . (2018) “Contemporary architecture of high-rise buildings in Doha – the capital of Qatar”, Budownictwo i Architektura, 16(4), pp. 015–033. doi: 10.24358/Bud-Arch_17_164_02.

Authors

Jerzy Szołomicki 
jerzy.szolomicki@pwr.edu.pl
Wrocław University of Technology; Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1339-4470

Authors

Hanna Golasz-Szołomicka 

Wrocław University of Technology; Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1125-6162

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