The six short-listed teams are announced today for the competition to select an architect-led team to design the new Sherborne Qatar School to be built in Doha, Qatar. The competition is being organised on behalf of Sherborne Qatar School and Sherborne Qatar Board of Governors by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Competitions unit.
Sherborne Qatar is a joint venture between Sherborne School in Dorset and Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Thani. Sherborne Qatar was founded in 2009 on a temporary site to the west of Doha and with the opening of the Senior School in September 2010 now caters for pupils from Reception through to Year 9. The vision is to establish a school that offers the very best of Sherborne’s ethos and education within the cultural framework of Qatar, and so bring a unique educational experience to the region that will be suitable for children of expatriates working in Qatar and neighbouring Gulf States, as well as providing the skills for local Qataris on whom the future development of the country depends. The new school will eventually cater for approximately 1500 pupils across the 4 to 18 age range and prepare them for entry to the major universities of the world.
The first phase of the competition involved assessment of Expression of Interest material submitted in response to letters of invitation to participate. The Judging Panel comprised Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Thani (Chair), together with other representatives of the Sherborne Qatar Board, Peter Barton (Principal of Sherborne Qatar School) and Catherine Bates (Architect and Design Advisor to the Board). The six design consortia (in alphabetical order) selected are led by:
- Arab Engineering Bureau
- Atkins Limited
- Avanti Architects
- Farrow Partnership Architects Inc.
- Hopkins Architects
- Technital S.p.A
The second stage of the competition is seeking strategic design ideas and approaches developed in response to three key design considerations for the new School: expression of dual cultural identity, environmental sustainability and an education model for the 21st Century. Short-listed teams will be invited to present their design proposals to the Judging Panel at a final assessment to be held in Doha in mid-June 2011.
