Qatar Museums has announced a long-list of 26 architects, chosen from a field of 489 submissions, for its Art Mill International Design Competition.

These competitors, from countries including Spain, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and Canada, amongst others, will go forward to the second stage of the design competition.

The project involves the redevelopment of a spectacular and historic waterfront site in the centre of Doha, at the heart of an emerging cultural quarter of the city. The Art Mill is conceived as a vibrant and multi-layered civic and cultural presence, a focus for the emerging campus of museums and cultural institutions at the eastern end of the corniche.

Currently occupied by Qatar Flour Mills, the site extends into Doha Bay, with the Arabian Sea on three sides. It adjoins the park around IM Pei’s Museum of Islamic Art, and is close to key landmarks, including the corniche and Jean Nouvel’s forthcoming National Museum of Qatar (under construction).

Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, chairperson of Qatar Museums, said: “The Qatar Flour Mills Company has a distinguished name within the Gulf as a pioneer in food production.

“Now that it is re-locating to the new port, we are grateful to be given this building. In converting and reinventing it, we hope to feed the community with the latest cultural developments and artistic creations from around the world – as well as establishing a strong platform for the Arab world to present their work within Qatar’s international context.

“The recent conversion of the fire station in Doha into artists’ residences has proved to be popular, with over 150 applicants for 20 studios. Similarly, the number of designers interested in the Art Mills project surpassed our expectations. We are excited by the variety and range of interested talent and look forward to the outcome of the competition.

“To have the Museum of Islamic Art, designed by IM Pei, the National Museum of Qatar by Jean Nouvel and the Art Mill development all within walking distance will give our community a unique cultural offering combining art, architecture and urban design,” she added.

Malcolm Reading, competition organiser and chairman of Malcolm Reading Consultants said: “This is a strong list full of quality and promise. The selection is a profile of global creative DNA. It gives architects practising in very different cultures and contexts the opportunity to bring new perspectives and insights to a project brimming with imaginative possibility.”

The brief for the project and the international jury for the competition will be released in early September 2015.

Competitors will be asked to envision strategies for the site and its links to the city. From the best of these analyses, a shortlist of five architects will be announced in early 2016. These five will be given further briefing and progress onto more detailed concept designs for the conversion and extension of the Flour Mills’ structures. – TradeArabia News Service