Doha Modern Playground
2022
Ultra-High Performance Concrete, Stainless Steel, Fiberglass
The Doha Modern Playground, a new public commission by Shezad Dawood, features four play objects and two bench designs that are based on iconic buildings realised between 1962 and 1987 in Doha at the height of Qatar’s modern era: the Ministry of Information & National Theatre Complex; the Doha Sheraton Hotel; Qatar University; the Central Post Office; the Gulf Hotel; and Dar Al Kutub.
SectorVisitor Attractions
locationDoha, Qatar
clientShezad Dawood
About ProjectphotoShezad Dawood
Each of the buildings was reimagined to feature "key play functions" associated with playgrounds, such as slides, swings and tunnels, and Dawood also wanted the designs to be spaces where children could let their imaginations run free.
Located in Doha's Al Masrah Park, Doha Modern Playground features two benches as well as the four play objects, which were made from stainless-steel subframes and glass-reinforced concrete (GRC).
"I wanted them to be materially as close as possible to the methodology and surface textures of the original buildings they reference, and to weather in the same way, given their location on the Corniche, where sunlight, sea and sand are all factors the built environment has to contend with," Dawood explained.
