Designed to enrich the lives of Qataris and enable the voice of the traditional past to engage with the future of Doha, DOHALAND’s Knowledge Enrichment Centre, the new landmark moored off Doha Corniche, opens its doors to the public from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays; entrance is free.
DOHALAND believes that the fabric of any society is its degree of collaboration, especially in the sharing of ideas. Great cultures of the past, especially in the Arab world, were founded on pursuit of knowledge that engages everyone.
A DOHALAND CSR commitment, the Knowledge Enrichment Centre, a floating structure at Doha Corniche has been designed to support the people of Qatar to flourish and enrich their experiences. It will also serve as a venue for workshops, seminars, conferences and exhibitions that encourage the new culture of exchanging and sharing knowledge and ideas.
The Knowledge Enrichment Centre hosts an ongoing exhibition titled ‘A Blueprint for the Future’, which showcases the local landscape and its ever-changing horizon over time, being presented in three different sections that look at ‘Qatar in the Past’, ‘Doha, the Evolving City’ and the ‘Musheireb, the Future’. Each section takes an overview of the designs, traditions and interpretations of heritage within each stage with a look towards the future of the nation and its ongoing development.
The Knowledge Enrichment Centre is now available to the people of Doha to meet, educate, learn and enjoy the cultural link between the county’s rich heritage and the modern nation, in line with the National Vision for Qatar. It will also act as a hub of sharing knowledge through hosting events that will engage academia, corporations and the general public, creating an environment of collaborative knowledge sharing.
A unique architectural design, the Knowledge Enrichment Centre has been based upon the idea of both land and sea, whilst incorporating elements of Bedouin history into its building theme. The centre itself was established to fulfill the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned to create venues for the sharing of knowledge, history, creativity, and culture for the people of Qatar.
To bring together people, the Knowledge Enrichment Centre features spaces designed specifically that will involve and engage the community actively. Activities will include workshops, seminars, conferences, exhibitions and other cultural and knowledge events not forgetting the Majlis area, reserved for distinguished guests, an active gallery venue, the Education Room and an outdoor shaded terrace.
The idea of knowledge enrichment, education and a nod toward the future generations of Qatar is a central theme among all DOHALAND’s Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The importance of such initiatives is acknowledged through the opening of the Knowledge Enrichment Centre, with its exhibition spaces, welcoming meeting rooms and planned activities open to participation for all. The benefits of this new knowledge hub have already been experienced through several events.
Since its official launch at the Groundbreaking Ceremony attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, and Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, Knowledge Enrichment Centre has hosted several events including the recent ‘Introduction to Green Buildings’ seminar, organized by Qatar Society of Engineers, QGBC and Afrina Trading and Construction Company. Aimed to permeate ‘Green’ thinking among professionals in the industry, the seminar addressed issues concerning global warming, pollution, different green building rating systems, and the LEED version 3 rating system issued by the US Green Building Council.
The Knowledge Enrichment Centre also hosted the 'Musheireb Symposium 2010 - Seven Steps to a New Architectural Language' during QREX 2010, which took place from March 3 to March 6th, where several keynote speakers addressed the development of the architectural principles applied in DOHALAND’s flagship project.
It has also been the venue for the ULI Summit in March, and had visits by dignitaries such as British Ambassador to the State of Qatar Mr John Hawkins, Ambassador of Netherlands to Qatar H.E. Johannes Cornels Marya; and visits by students from several universities, including the Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.
