The Gray Monk

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March 07, 2005

Modern use of old designs

The love of geometric design, and the desire to preserve the best of the cultural heritage in design, is evident in many of the ultra-modern buildings being erected in Doha, which is being thoroughly renewed everywhere you turn. Old buildings are being swept away to make way for the new, but, they have managed to preserve some gems in the process.

The building in my picture is striking, using the classic design of the domed mosque or diwan (Place where the ruler meets the leaders and elders of the family tribes), and projecting it onto the face of the building, with the smaller domed atrium in the foreground creating the effect of a large shadow on the face of the building. Elsewhere, examples abound of modern structures whose lower floors create or reproduce the outline of a traditional style of building, with the upper part of the building encased in mirror glass which both reduces the heat gain internally and creates an almost ethereal "sky" which fools the eye into seeing the "old" skyline quite nicely.

Blending the traditional and the modern - a new building in Doha which shows off the geometric designs for which this region is famous.

Posted by The Gray Monk at March 7, 2005 09:56 AM

Comments

Posted by: MommaBear at March 8, 2005 02:04 AM