In this issue of Architectural Record, we explore the ins and outs of two hugely ambitious new works of architecture, cultural buildings that could not differ more in how they negotiate the balance between form and content, structure and program, art and architecture.
The National Museum of Qatar, by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, is designed as a mind-boggling collision of 539 thin-edged, pale concrete disks—varying in diameter from 46 to 285 feet—that jut out and cut across each other to dazzling effect. Inspired by the desert rose—a mineral formation that lies beneath the sands of the Gulf state—Nouvel created a building of 324,000 usable square feet that snakes and curves around a spacious courtyard. As record managing editor Beth Broome, who traveled to Doha to see it, writes, “It is impossible to imagine what lies behind the walls of cascading disks.”
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.