DOHALAND recently inaugurated the Knowledge Enrichment Centre, a new floating landmark moored off Doha Corniche that will celebrate and enhance the country’s rich heritage, tradition and culture, and initiate a knowledge-sharing exercise among people in Qatar.

Speaking about the newly-unveiled project, Issa M Al Mohannadi, CEO of Dohaland, says: “The Knowledge Enrichment Centre is one of the CSR Flourish initiatives of Dohaland built for the benefit of the people of Qatar. The centre is the outcome of a direction from our chairperson HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, to find a way to share the ideas of the new architectural language and elements of urban design and city planning found in the Musheireb project, with the community.”
The Knowledge Enrichment Centre is 91 by 24 m, with a building floor area of 1,200 sq m. Its floating nature symbolises both land and sea, the desert life of the Bedouins and the maritime tradition of pearl diving and fishing, which together form the core of Qatari and regional history.
“It will provide the community an avenue to learn and enhance their experiences with thematic workshops and conferences, cultural events and a gallery space with exhibits that focus on the Qatari heritage, along with a series of ongoing activities that will involve and engage the community actively,” says Mohannadi.
Representative of Dohaland’s pillars – heritage, innovation, sustainability, enrichment and environment – the Knowledge Enrichment Centre was designed by international architects Allies and Morrison, and built in a record 76 days between August 18 and November 2 last year. Traditional Qatari design methods have been used to ventilate and light the internal spaces, reflecting features being incorporated into the design of Musheireb to provide shade, privacy and community interaction.

Features
Simon Gathercole, head of Allies and Morrison’s Doha office, says the Knowledge Enrichment Centre possesses a “sophisticated simplicity”.
The hull is made from steel, but the building uses natural materials such as timber and stone. It chimes with a simplicity and modesty that is synonymous with Qatari architecture, and maintains an earthy feel with carpets, canvases and fabrics used throughout.
The structure is simple and solid. But in some areas it has architectural components that are elaborate and ornate, he says. “For instance, the majlis is decorated by patterns influenced by the elaborate and beautiful configurations found in the mud flats within Qatar’s mangroves. In the barahat, you will find carvings and patterns that can be seen in the 2,000-year-old rock carvings in Jabal Al Jassasiya, located to the northeast of Doha.”
Various characteristics of traditional Qatari homes are reinvented within the Knowledge Enrichment Centre. The entry portal is reminiscent of the dwellings of the nation’s ancestors.
The baraha, a section which evokes the character of a small square between buildings (an informal entry courtyard), embodies some of the qualities that will be seen in the Musheireb project.
The baraha features light, air and water through the fountain and a split wall feature, the malkaf. It is a reminder of the Qatari reputation for hospitality by representing the tradition of offering water to visitors.
The centre will have a special majlis for distinguished guests, with a view across the bay from its balcony, fusing traditional and contemporary design, and opening onto the exhibition galleries and terrace. A pattern inspired by an early artwork at Al Jassasiya rock carving with depictions of what appear to be traditional fishing boats or dhows, is used to enrich the ceiling and table tops of the Majlis.
Exhibition galleries at the centre will display and showcase a range of artefacts and architectural information charting the history of Qatari architecture, design and building techniques.
Dohaland chose to build a floating structure so that it could be moored off the Doha Corniche, acting as a bridge between the new structures in West Bay and Doha’s old city centre, while symbolising the land and the sea – two central themes in Doha’s history. “Since the corniche is a popular location among local families and expatriates to meet and socialise, it was felt appropriate to moor the Knowledge Enrichment Centre at this location,” he says.