Multi-disciplinary consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff International (PB) has been awarded a contract to design the Administration and Maintenance building for the West Bay Lagoon area in Doha, Qatar.

The project, for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture, includes the design of an administration building, an engineering and maintenance centre, landscaping and parking facilities.
Says PB’s senior architect Nour Tohme: “We have designed buildings where functionality and aesthetics are balanced, combining traditional and modern architecture. In our concept, the climate as well as the relation of the building site to the West Bay Lagoon scheme has influenced the form of the project. In our design, we focus on the natural environment by using natural materials, using water as a main feature and soft landscape into the architectural composition.
“The study of the site and its natural environment dictated the shape and the positions of the components of the different buildings. The positioning of high curved walls to the south east protects the internal court and buildings from the prevalent winds, while the introduction of a water feature contributes to cooling the internal microclimate.”
PB’s Qatar unit, in close collaboration with the company’s Beirut office, was selected to provide detailed design for the 5,000 sq m multi-use facility after having won an architectural design competition.
The administration building is accessible to the public and is made up of linked blocks – a conference centre, multipurpose hall and storage and service area – that can be used independently.
The maintenance centre, which functionally remains an independent building, contains the main administration office for the maintenance works required to service the whole of the West Bay Lagoon development and forms a visual link in the general composition of the project.
PB is an international engineering, design and programme management firm offering multi-disciplinary consultancy service in transportation, buildings, power and telecommunications.