Barahat Msheireb will be 'an amazing place for the people'
Date
4/28/2018 11:43:46 PM
(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Barahat Msheireb, Qatar's biggest open-air square at Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD), will serve as a 'meeting place of cultures once fully operational, the project's designer and renowned architect Michel Mossessian has said.
'Architecture is two things: space and people. It is about making spaces where people feel like it is addressed to them, places where they feel like it looks like them, and it feels right to be there, he told reporters recently on the sidelines of his talk titled ‘Engaging our senses' at MDD's Cultural Forum.
Mossessian, a world-class architect delivering acclaimed projects in London and internationally, completed 26 buildings across the four stages of Doha's iconic Msheireb urban regeneration project, including the main Square.
The ExxonMobil Technology Centre in Shanghai is another example of his work, it is learnt.
In designing Barahat, Mossessian, with Msheireb Properties' help, also considered the Al Wakrah area and fishermen's villages having 'all the legacy and heritage and the people who lived simply dealing with the weather.
'The Square, this is my design here, we try to debrief how to make a place that felt Qatari and also welcome the world and to feel (they are) welcome in Qatar, in Doha, the architect stressed.
A unique infrastructure, he noted that Barahat is a place where parents and their children can walk freely a mix of people and a mix of various origins.
He noted that it is 'too hot to be outside for six months of the year. 'At least (now) you have a Square where you can be in these spaces and it will be below 30 degrees Celsius... and can comfortably have coffee or tea in a public space, the architect added.
Barahat features the largest retractable roof in the Middle East, allowing for year-round use, according to Msheireb Properties.
Complementing the roof are innovative cool pool systems that will push chilled air from the ground up, designed to keep diners and visitors comfortable during Doha's summer months while enjoying the 11 food and beverage outlets and lively atmosphere.
With a mix of retail, culture, residential and offices, he said the Square has everything in terms of use. For seven years, Mossessian has been coming to Doha from London for the design phase and it is his first time to see the project again after two years.
'I am very pleased. I am sure it will be an amazing place for the people, the architect said.
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