Lessons learnt from Msheireb: designing exceptional building performance and changing perceptions

As one of the most exciting city centre regeneration projects in the Middle East reaches completion, what are the lessons learnt from the iconic Msheireb Downtown Doha project?

I was delighted to be recently invited to take part in an online roundtable event, hosted by Allies and Morrison, to discuss my experience of leading the challenging construction phase on the Msheireb Downtown Doha project on behalf of Buro Happold and explore the learnings from this impressive project.

I was joined on the virtual session by other key representatives – Ricky Burdett, Peter Oborn, Laura Petrella, Ali A Alraouf, Tim Makower, Bassam Al Mannai, Rami El Semahy, Helen Logan, Simon Gathercole and Graham Morrison – who also worked on the project to create a new, compact, walkable neighbourhood in the heart of Qatar’s capital city.

Msheireb regeneration
Our integrated engineering approach fused ancient Qatari building methods with contemporary, energy efficient strategies. Image: Buro Happold

This ambitious urban redevelopment project encompasses 600,000m² and represents the vision of Msheireb Properties and its chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, for their city.

Marrying modern design with traditional Arabian architecture, the Msheireb creates sustainable urban living that reflects the city’s deep-rooted cultural heritage, as well as creating a pedestrian orientated, people friendly quarter featuring walkways, piazzas and arcades, all set within beautiful landscaping.

In terms of lessons learnt from the project, there are three that stand out for me:

1. With great vision and a clear plan, wonders can be achieved.

The client team from Msheireb set out to create something iconic, and uniquely Qatari in the heart of the city centre, with reference to the past, but with high standards. They set down a clear set of standards for everyone to work to and checked these regularly in the design stages. 

This vision has been achieved and Msheireb will doubtlessly be an iconic architectural cluster for some time to come. I cannot wait to travel to Doha to visit, when global travel becomes possible again.

2. In order to shift the dial in terms of sustainability, and the path to net zero carbon, it is necessary to aim high and persevere.

This leadership, almost 15 years ago, was ahead of its time. However, this type of leadership is going to be vitally important in the coming years as we deal with turning the tide on climate change. The project incorporates numerous sustainable aspects including recycled rainwater, solar panels, targets low emissions, walkability and unheard-of levels of recycling during the site phase.

The high sustainability aspirations were a focus from the very start, so appropriate time and attention was given by the Client and Design Team in the brief and design meetings. Guardians of LEED compliance kept an eye on the process within the engineering and design strategies and engaged a site wide LEED consultant. The result was the inclusion of requirements within the design rather than bolt-on added extras and green bling. In Phase 2 alone, it is likely that all but one building will achieve a LEED platinum rating…adding to the many other LEED Gold buildings around the Msheireb site.

3. My third and final lesson focuses on procurement.

On projects such as these, we work over long timescales, and we are in a period of great innovation. We started the design of Phase 2 just over ten years ago, and five years after the master specs were written.

Some, but not all of the buildings are in use. Some of the innovative design approaches adopted in our design phase may be five to ten years out of date already, affecting the structure or main MEP plant; intelligent and automated building operation systems have moved on rapidly, by the time these mega projects are fully open, the entire technology approach could be outdated.

If there was a more flexible way to defer the design or selection of some of these items, it could help keep a client’s mega project relevant and up to date with its competition for a much longer period. This would need more than just a mindset change – it would also need a change in contractual approach, which will always be more challenging.

Msheireb redevelopment
Modern design fused with traditional Arabian architecture to create sustainable urban living that reflects Qatar’s cultural heritage. Image: Buro Happold

Importance of post-occupancy evaluation

All of the buildings in the Msheireb site were designed and constructed at the same (or at least similar) times, to the same standards and specifications; there are even multiple buildings of the same typology.

Now is the time to plan a full set of post-occupancy evaluations, so that the client, operators and designers can learn from what they have done and work out how to improve their performance and efficiency, and the outcomes for the owners and occupiers. 

Great design is important, but the follow up in gathering the data around performance can turn good design intentions into exceptional asset performance. We need to value the insights that we could gain this way and pursue this activity.

Personal lessons and highlights

If there was one personal thing I’d take away from the experience, it would be the confidence to stand on my own two feet, to make decisions and to live with them. However, individual confidence is only truly real and valuable when it is rooted in the support and dedication freely offered by others. After all, an organisation’s power, reputation and capabilities come from the knowledge, resources and efforts of the individual, which is something I never forget.

The project also gave me my two greatest career highlights. The first was being given the Construction Week Middle East Engineer of the Year Highly Commended Award, in recognition of my work on the project. Second was being told by male colleagues and contractors how amazing it was for them to work with a woman, and how I was inspiring them to think differently about their wives and daughters and what they might achieve…surely that’s a real achievement for inclusivity!

Our family has nothing but the best of memories from our three years in wonderful Qatar. Having previously been a slow convert to the idea of an international transfer, I would absolutely, and without reservation, encourage everyone to consider it.

Listen to the Allies and Morrison roundtable event to hear more discussions about the project.