Project: National Museum of Qatar
Architecture: Jean Nouvel
Geo: Doha, QA
Although I'm not a football fan, it's hard to ignore what's currently happening in Qatar. Essentially, World Cups, Olympics, EXPOs, and similar events not only enhance the prestige and status of a country but also serve as an economic booster for the hosting location.
Take Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana, for example. There was much talk about everything falling apart within a few years and becoming unnecessary. In reality, its relevance has not diminished; everything continues to develop actively to this day. Look at the cost per square meter: prices not only compete with Moscow but in some cases even exceed them.
From an architectural perspective, when preparing a city for such events, the focus is on key facilities. However, stadiums alone are not enough, so communications, engineering, transportation infrastructure, completion of unfinished buildings, new hotels, and ultimately, a major cleanup also play a significant part in the preparations. In the case of Qatar, the authorities took an unprecedented step: in 10 years, they built the city of Lusail from scratch, covering an area of 35 square kilometers with 25,000 buildings and a metro system.
This was a lengthy preamble to showcase the project of the National Museum in Qatar by Jean Nouvel. What a puzzle he created for his engineers!
PS The Desert Rose is a mineralized crystalline stone that inspired Nouvel in the creation of the museum (see the last photo).
Architecture: Jean Nouvel
Geo: Doha, QA
Although I'm not a football fan, it's hard to ignore what's currently happening in Qatar. Essentially, World Cups, Olympics, EXPOs, and similar events not only enhance the prestige and status of a country but also serve as an economic booster for the hosting location.
Take Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana, for example. There was much talk about everything falling apart within a few years and becoming unnecessary. In reality, its relevance has not diminished; everything continues to develop actively to this day. Look at the cost per square meter: prices not only compete with Moscow but in some cases even exceed them.
From an architectural perspective, when preparing a city for such events, the focus is on key facilities. However, stadiums alone are not enough, so communications, engineering, transportation infrastructure, completion of unfinished buildings, new hotels, and ultimately, a major cleanup also play a significant part in the preparations. In the case of Qatar, the authorities took an unprecedented step: in 10 years, they built the city of Lusail from scratch, covering an area of 35 square kilometers with 25,000 buildings and a metro system.
This was a lengthy preamble to showcase the project of the National Museum in Qatar by Jean Nouvel. What a puzzle he created for his engineers!
PS The Desert Rose is a mineralized crystalline stone that inspired Nouvel in the creation of the museum (see the last photo).