An artist’s rendition of a design element of the metro.

QATAR Rail has appointed Dutch architectural firm UNStudio as principal architect for the Qatar Integrated Railway Project (QIRP), which will see the firm design more than 30 stations in the first phase of the Doha metro network.

The metro forms the key component of the QIRP, with Phase One to include around 35 stations and Phase Two around 60 stations, and will serve as the backbone of the public transport system in the Greater Doha Area (GDA).

The entire network will comprise four lines connecting the GDA as well as the Al Khor and Al Wakrah-Mesaieed communities, located north and south of Doha, respectively.

The UNStudio design proposal represents a flexible new architectural system which can adapt itself to the scalar challenges posed by the metro network.

The design further aims to incorporate and integrate all functional and technical aspects of the stations and network into a coherent architectural expression with a view to making the metro a global benchmark for public transport.

UNStudio has developed an ‘architectural branding manual’, a set of design guidelines, architectural details and material outlines that will assure the spatial quality and clarity of the network. The manual will be used by the appointed design-and-build contractors in the construction and delivery of the 35 stations of Phase One.