A total of 489 applicants from 56 countries submitted proposals to design the Art Mill, a waterfront complex expected to measure up to 80,000 sq. m. Twenty-six firms have been chosen to progress to the second stage of the competition, from established names like David Chipperfield Architects and Renzo Piano Building Workshop to younger designers including the Spanish firm Grupo Aranea.

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The proposed site for the Art Mill was originally a key node within the Arabian Gulf port, essential for the import of grain. It is presently occupied by Qatar Flour Mills, which sits to the east of Museum of Islamic Art (MIA). The site has a distinctive open aspect with three sides adjoining Doha Bay, and the other linking the city. The mill operation will now move to purpose-built new facilities.

The industrial process of milling has left a fascinating legacy in the layout and spaces of the existing buildings on the site, notably voluminous spaces and a rhythmic, patterned promenade of vertical silos. Some of the Flour Mills buildings possess an authentic monumentality in terms of positioning, scale and noble forms. Re-using and adapting these structures will be integral to the project.

The building (or buildings) is/are expected to contain between 60,000m² and 80,000m² of gross space (645,835 and 861,113 sq. ft.), plus underground parking.

While predominantly comprising gallery and exhibition space, the museum’s brief also includes extensive education, conference and event space, as well as state-of-the-art conservation and storage to match the diversity of the collection. There will also be facilities to support the community and provide amenities for visiting families.

With its reinvention as a place generating cultural rather than physical sustenance, the site is well placed for transport and social amenities, supplying the missing jigsaw-piece to complete the public realm around a key civic quarter. Adjoining and linked to MIA park, and a few minutes’ walk from Doha’s famous Corniche, the site offers panoramic views across the bay to the skyline of the financial district.

The Art Mill will be dynamic, sustainable, contemporary and true to its social and cultural responsibilities. It will also acknowledge the heritage and setting of a historic site at the heart of the port and city.

The global search for the designer of the Art Mill in Doha, envisioned as one of the world’s leading cultural centres, is gathering momentum as Qatar Museums today [Monday August 17, 2015] announced the long-list of twenty-six architects, chosen from a field of 489 submissions. These competitors, from countries including Spain, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and Canada, amongst others, will go forward to the second stage of the design competition. The firms are, in alphabetical order:

• Ábalos + Sentkiewicz
• Adam Khan Architects
• Aires Mateus e Associados
• Arab Engineering Bureau
• Atelier Bow-Wow
• Barozzi / Veiga
• David Chipperfield Architects
• EAA Emre Arolat Architects
• Eduardo Souto de Moura Architects
• Elemental
• Grupo Aranea
• heneghan peng architects
• Johnston Marklee
• junya.ishigami + associates
• Lacaton & Vassal
• Mangado Architects_Mangado & Associados
• Miralles Tagliabue EMBT
• Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos
• Noero Architects and The Matrix… cc Urban Designers and Architects
• OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen + l’AUC
• Patkau Architects
• Project Meganom
• Renzo Piano Building Workshop
• Rice+Lipka Architects
• SO-IL
• Sou Fujimoto Architects

http://theartnewspaper.com/news/museums/159249/

https://competitions.malcolmreading.co.uk/artmillqatar/