Qatar University: Built Form, Culture and Livability

Abstract

Since the 1940s discovery of oil, the State of Qatar has experienced a rapid growth, which radically influenced the country’s physical, economic, cultural and demographical status. Qatar became an independent state in 1977, after the end of the British rule. This paved the way for education: within the same year, the national academic institution, Qatar University, was established to allow Qatari students to study in their home country. In turn, in the past two decades, the State of Qatar has become highly competitive in the fields of construction, technology and education. The aim of this paper is exploring how and the extent to which the built form of Qatar University’s campus (1) encourages the formation of enhanced levels of social and community interactions (i.e., social life) and (2) can be implemented in order to further enhance social interactions and/or livability. The study investigates the extent to which the public realm of the campus can be revitalized in order to enhance students’ levels of social interactions. In order to reply to the main question, the system and setting of activities performed by students at Qatar University is explored and analyzed, through data obtained from (A) a survey, (B) students’ interviews, and (C) visual material. The analysis indicates that the selected public open space around the campus should be implemented in order to encourage social activities and enhance livability in accordance with the preservation of the users’ cultural identity.