THE EVOLUTION OF DOHA’S ARCHITECTURE and urban development BEGAN WITH THE DISCOVERY OF OIL AND HAS ONLY GROWN TO DATE. FOR MANY YEARS, THIS EVOLUTION INVOLVED THE INFLUENCE OF FOREIGN STYLES, BUT NOW THE CITY’S MODERNIZATION ALSO INVOLVES THE CONSERVATION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF ITS TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE.
By: Ifath Arwah
- In 1939, Qatar discovered oil and by 1940, the country had begun producing 4,000 barrels a day.
- This led to greater urban development, with the construction of roads and the entry of cars into Qatar in the 1950s.
- Qatar’s traditional housing typology, the courtyard house, gave way to the development of mid-rise buildings and small compounds in the 1960s.
- Qatar gained independence from being a British Protectorate in 1971, which led to the formation of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Agriculture, an organization that began overseeing urban development. This department hired Llewelyn Davies, a famous British architectural and planning firm, to create a master plan that consisted of building a modern city center, multi-story residential units for laborers, recreation facilities, commercial office spaces, residential extensions and more.
- In the 1980s, Doha built its first high-rise developments, with buildings that were higher than 10 stories. The city also developed separate housing programs for Qataris who did not own land, educated Qataris with university degrees or Qataris working in the public sector, and expatriates working in public sector.
- In the 1990s, entities other than the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, like semi-private and state-owned agencies, were allowed to approve their own projects for the first time.
- In the 2000s, the Foreign Ownership Law, which allowed foreigners to own property for 99-year leases in Lusail City and The Pearl-Qatar, was established. Also, mega projects in areas like education, culture, and sports came into being, such as the Aspire Zone, which was the first mega project in the field of sports.
- Since the 2010s and after, Qatar has focused on expanding its architecture and urban planning projects and also working on conserving its rich architectural tradition. A key example of this is the Msheireb Downtown Doha project that focuses on regenerating and preserving the historical downtown of Doha.
