Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) recently hosted a two-day architecture conference, titled “Learning from Education City”.
The event, which took place at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s Student Centre, was designed to address the inspiration and creativity behind its flagship development, according to a statement.
The event brought together a number of internationally renowned thinkers and architects to examine Education City’s architecture and showcase some of its state-of-the-art projects. It also served as a platform to discuss and debate the development.
Ameena Ahmadi, technical director at the Qatar Foundation Capital Projects Directorate, was a moderator for the conference.
Ahmadi explained the overarching concept of the campus, saying: “We believe that an educational environment is not your everyday space, it has to be something special that offers imaginative opportunities for learning.”
Ahmadi also believes that adaptability is an essential element in designing educational spaces.
Fatma al-Sahlawi, a Qatari architect who attended the conference, discussed some of the unique concepts of the campus. “Education City is an architectural model, one that students can learn from,” al-Sahlawi explained. “The buildings are designed to limit heat and sunshine, which is a climate-friendly and sustainable approach. They depend on courtyards and openings for cross ventilation. This is rare to find in the region.”
The conference also brought together some of the architects who worked on the structures within Education City.