Introverted architecture and the human dimension : the conflict of placemaking in the disconnected urban fabric of Doha, Qatar

Abstract

Doha, the capital city of Qatar, has become a metropolis of disconnected inward-facing mega-projects with no regard to the remaining fabric of the city. This can be owed to the relatively short urbanization period that the country has undergone, with its heavy reliance on international firms. The consequence is a city that has lost much of its historic core and vernacular architecture, and is defined by the large development projects that dot the capital. These mega-projects are treated as self-enclosed cities within the larger context of Doha. They are internally facing, turning their back to the city as a whole. The individual developments may be deemed successful, however not connecting to and addressing the larger fabric of the city negatively impacts Doha's urban environment. While proper design can address the disruptive nature of towers and mega-projects in the city fabric, the issue needs to be acknowledged at a larger scale. Unless there are regulations in place that enforce desired urban design qualities, the city as a whole will fall victim to the whims of each individual designer, which is the case in West Bay, the Central Business District of Doha. This project aims to demonstrate the insufficient built environment within the West Bay site, and note how the lack of regulations have created forms that turn their back to the city, producing an uninviting urban fabric with no regard to the human dimension. The realities of the planning process in Qatar are examined, along with comparative cases and literature on urban design, in order to propose recommendations for an alternative to the urbanism that currently exists.