Qatar Foundation holds architecture conference highlighting Doha's Education City

Hamad bin Khalifa University recently played host to a two-day architecture conference called “Learning from Education City” and organized by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF). Education City lies on the outskirts of Doha, and the sprawling facility represents the Qatar Foundation’s flagship development.

The event was intended to explore the inspiration, creativity and architectural techniques that went into designing the more than eight square miles of Education City.

The Education City campus was designed with the intention of creating an environment that inspires learning and innovation. QF established the development as part of the mission to rework Qatar’s economy from a fossil-fuels based model to a knowledge-based one.

Internationally recognized innovators and architects were on hand at the conference to showcase Education City’s architecture and state-of-the-art technologies. Participants also had the opportunity to debate and discuss the pros and cons of the development.

“When designing a building for Education City, architects are not working on a common building -- we aim to deliver the highest quality to students,” Ameena Ahmadi, technical director for the Qatar Foundation Capital Projects Directorate, said. “We believe that an educational environment is not your everyday space, it has to be something special that offers imaginative opportunities for learning. Learning does not just happen in the classroom -- we take into consideration the spaces that surround the classroom.”

Some of the architects that designed Education City structures were also on hand for the conference. Award-winning Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies designer Ali Mangera talked about his work and his focus on ‘knowledge and light’ as architectural inspiration. Kelly Hutzell of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar’s architecture school called Education City a “Mecca of Architecture” during her lecture on how building design can set the scene for learning.