Students, staff and faculty of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar capped off the spring 2006 semester with a celebration marking the groundbreaking of the university’s new building. More than 100 people attended the ceremonial groundbreaking where Carnegie Mellon Qatar Dean Chuck Thorpe spoke about the future of Carnegie Mellon in Education City.
"The building will be a visually spectacular addition to Qatar Foundation. But what's much more important, it will be a spectacular space for our educational and research mission. We will of course have classrooms and offices and laboratories; but beyond that, we will follow the Carnegie Mellon tradition of having open spaces for people to meet, talk, drink coffee and build the future. We look forward to welcoming not just Carnegie Mellon, but all of Education City to drop by and collaborate with us," Thorpe said.
The teaching and learning facility, which is being built by the Qatar Foundation for Carnegie Mellon, will measure an expansive 42,000-square- meters. State-of-the-art features combined with a robust palate of colors, water features and trees will create warm and inviting spaces throughout the building that will foster the growth of the whole student — academically, intellectually, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Designed by renowned architects Legorreta and Legorreta, the building will have at its core an open three-story atrium that will serve as a town square. Filled with natural light, the atrium will be home to a food court, assembly area and expansive walkway. Situated on the main east-west passage through Education City, the walkway will be alive with trees and will serve as a meeting place for everyone in Education City.
The event was a ceremonial groundbreaking. Actual excavation and construction is expected to begin in July. Building completion is currently slated for January 2008.
In fall 2003, the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development created Education City to bring international universities to Qatar to share education, research and community-based ventures. In 2004, at the invitation of the Qatar Foundation, Carnegie Mellon opened its first international branch campus in Education City, where it offers undergraduate programs in computer science and business.
Today, Education City is home to the Qatar Academy (K-12 school), the Learning Center, the Academic Bridge Program, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts-Qatar, the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Texas A&M University in Qatar, Carnegie Mellon Qatar, the RAND-Qatar Policy Institute, Georgetown University in Qatar and the Science and Technology Park.
About the Architects
Known for the ability to conceive of spaces that suit needs, appetites and emotions, Legorreta and Legorreta combines pure and timeless forms that instill clarity into complicated projects. Using light, water and dramatic colors, spaces are designed to intensify the personal experience of the people in the buildings. Even in large complexes, like the Chiron Laboratories, or the Egade Graduate School, privacy and simplicity is preserved. The application of color is a most important priority, especially in projects set in their native Mexico. All of these ingredients integrate architecture, landscaping and interior decoration into a single discipline that respects the place and the traditions.
Legorreta and Legorreta also designed the Texas A&M University at Qatar building, which is currently under construction next to the Carnegie Mellon site. For more information, visit https://www.legorretalegorreta.com.
