Abstract

The Msheireb Downtown Doha development represents a pioneering attempt to establish a new type of urban quarter within the centre of a Middle Eastern city. Rather than rely on generic models drawn from elsewhere the Msheireb plan deploys forms of spatial organisation and architectural expression more specific to the particular character of the city and its climate. The evolution of the architectural guidelines, their visualisation and implementation, provide an insight to the objectives and ideas behind the project.

Simon Gathercole is a Director of Allies and Morrison and studied at the University of Cambridge, where he also participated in the Harvard Exchange programme. Simon has worked on several major regeneration projects in the UK including the London 2012 Olympic Park and Legacy, Hereford Old Market and Quartermile Edinburgh. In 2009 Simon established a Qatar office for Allies and Morrison to support the delivery of Msheireb Downtown Doha and continues to work on projects in the region.