(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Raynald C Rivera | The Peninsula
DOHA: An installation in the form of a maze constructed by the winners of the British Council's Unlimited Doha Design Prize to represent the streets of old Doha opened at Dahl Al Hammam Park yesterday. Having date palm fronds as walls, The Maze exudes a traditional feel and encompasses a selection of old Qatari games.
Open to the public for two months, The Maze lets people experience the feel of play in narrow 'streets (passages), creating their own collages of their dream spaces and enjoying traditional games.
From left: Dr Frank Fitzpatrick, Country Director of the British Council Qatar; Mohammed Al Sada, Deputy Director of Public Parks Department; and Dr Waseem Kotoub, Head of Programmes and Partnerships at the British Council Qatar; cutting the ribbon to mark the opening of The Maze at Dahl Al Hammam Park yesterday.
Dr Frank Fitzpatrick, Country Director of the British Council Qatar, said: 'The idea here is to use architecture in a public space that people can come and see a representation of the old streets of Doha. Families and young children can come here to play and see traditional Qatari games.
The team comprising Architects Deena Al Terawi, Gizem Kahraman, Cherng-Min Teong and Alex Scott-Whitby and archaeologist Ömer Can Aksoy built The Maze based on their award-winning project City of Play, a concept for a contemporary city that builds upon the best of its past, in order to cater for the future of new urban communities.
By creating a chain of street and public space transformations, the proposal sought to humanise and revitalise the city's historic fabric to achieve an inclusive, accessible re-birth of a much-loved part of Doha.
'We at the British Council are thrilled to have been asked to showcase the award winning design, City of Play. The British Council is engaged in a range of cultural initiatives locally, and we are glad that there is so much interest in the ways we encourage cooperation and collaboration such as this, said Dr. Fitzpatrick.
'As part of Qatar's Vision 2030 we are creating more opportunities for people to interact with the environment in new ways. Doha is famous for its modern architecture, but we want to ensure people don't forget about the history and culture of the people who help make Qatar what it is today, Mohammed Al Khouri, Director of Public Parks Department at Ministry of Municipality and Environment, said in a statement.
Dr Waseem Kotoub, Head of Programmes and Partnerships at the British Council Qatar, said, 'Qatar's rich urban heritage has always been a source of inspiration for local and international architects and designers. We are delighted to provide and facilitate opportunities for young designers and architects in creating a collaborative work like the maze.
'We are also enthusiastic to support Qatar Museums' initiative Marchitecture a month full of talks and workshops that explore art and architecture scene in Qatar.
As one of the features of Marchitecture, the British Council is initiating a panel discussion on 'Streets of Doha: Between the Future and the Past which will discuss the influence of traditional Qatari architecture on the urban fabric of Doha today, and explore how it will continue to shape the future of the city.
To be held at Msheireb Enrichment Centre tomorrow, the panel will be chaired by Prof. Robert Carter, Professor of Arabian & Middle Eastern Archaeology, UCL Qatar and include Ali Mangera, Director of MYAA (Mangera Yvars Architects), Mohammed Ali Abdullah of Private Engineering Office of the Amiri Diwan and Nur Alah Valdeolmillos, Senior Architect at Qatar Foundation, Capital Projects Directorate.
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