Abstract
The Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD) team proposes a special session titled “Msheireb’s Urban Heritage”, which comprises of three presentations, a moderated dialogue and an audience Q&A exploring various aspects of urban heritage in Doha’s Downtown. The session will explore how the redeveloped city’s identity is shaped by its architectural and urban heritage, the sensitive conversion of four heritage houses into dynamic modern museums, and the role the museums play in bridging the historical gap for visitors of the downtown. As the conference will be held in MDD, we believe this session will benefit the conference participants by giving them the opportunity to more fully situate themselves within the city and reflect on its urban heritage. “The Architectural and Urban Heritage as Catalyst for Creativity and Shaping City Identity The Case of Msheireb, Doha” (20 minutes) Fatima Fawzi, Design Manager, Msheireb Properties & Ali A. Alraouf, PhD Prof. of Architecture and Urbanism This paper looks specifically at shaping city identity within the built environment using MDD as case study. More significantly, the paper explores how interpretations of architecture and urban heritage, created a new architectural design language and a sustainable urban reality in the production of a large-scale urban development project in Doha. Interventions targeting the three key morphological elements identified in this paper: streets, open space and building typologies, have been identified as aspects of the built environment that influence city identity. The paper emphasizes the importance of research into the architectural, urban and aesthetic production processes that generate new urban spaces in the context of a cosmopolitan Doha. It concludes with a holistic framework based on lessons learned from the MDD project that can be utilized in relevant attempts to revitalize cities with valuable urban and architectural heritage, whilst facing numerous contemporary challenges, regionally or globally. “Msheireb Museums: Designing Museum Experiences to Enliven History” (20 minutes) Dr. Hafiz Ali Abdulla, Director of Msheireb Museum Located in the heritage quarter of MDD, these four heritage houses were restored and transformed into fully equipped museum spaces abiding by international standards, whilst preserving the original typologies and construction of the houses. This paper sets to present our experience of this conversion project as a case study of contextually relevant interventions delivering Msheireb Museums. The result was the production of narratives using combinations of historical material, state-of-the-art museum technology, and different treatments of physical space aimed at preserving the historical characteristics of the buildings. This paper concludes with lessons learned about preserving and converting local heritage houses and the interplay with the curatorial narrative fixated on creating journeys that would bring Qatari history into sharp local and international focus. “Memories of Msheireb Walk: City Museums Unlocking the Socio-Spatial Meaning of Downtown Doha” (20 minutes) Fahad Al-Turky, Exhibition Manager Msheireb Museums & Mohamad Khalil Harb, Anthropologist The paper, ethnographic in its approach, aims to use public “urban walks” conducted through the MDD city App, to study how an affective relationship can be established with MDD. Utilizing the museum’s archive for the MDD App, the participants will establish varied relationships with the city that go beyond a visual experience and lead to an immersive, interactive and deeper understanding of its history and heritage. Through studying the impact of technology and small scale and self-initiated tours, our research will take into account the ways in which these tours are reviving the memories of the city, reflecting on the present conditions and encourage the public to imagine new urban futures. Discussion Panel: The fourth session will be an open discuss for (20 minutes) moderated by Dr. Ali A. Alraouf
