QSTP wins European architects award

Part of Qatar Foundation’s Education City, the aesthetically striking QSTP hosts technology centres of some of the world’s top companies, including EADS, ExxonMobil, GE, Microsoft, Virgin Health Bank, Shell and Total.
QSTP, which also comprises a business incubator to commercialise Qatar Foundation’s strong investment in research, has a key role in generating opportunities for Qatar’s scientists and entrepreneurs by creating an international hub for technology-based business and fostering the country’s knowledge economy.

“The scale of QSTP is obviously one of its most immediately recognisable features,” Woods Bagot regional managing director Mark Mitcheson-Low said.
The approach to the park is dominated by the distinctive undulating roof.
The significance of this location has been marked by Woods Bagot through the use of a perforated, aluminium ‘veil’, that runs along the front length of the site.
Shimmering in the desert sun, the veil is at once functional, providing shade, and the basis for the development of microclimatic environments through the careful selection of finishes and softscape areas and the re-interpretation of the shapes of the surrounding desert and other influences from Qatari culture.
“The world-class design of the QSTP building is already providing a draw to global technology leaders – as recognised by the awards it is garnering - and allowing it to become a focus for Qatar’s business goals,” Mitcheson-Low added.