Geometric genius

First inspired by the work of Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe and then studying under Walter Gropius at Harvard University, IM Pei’s favoured materials are the stone, concrete, glass and steel of modernist architecture.

It is no surprise, then, that after both Rasem Badran and Charles Correa failed to deliver an acceptable design for what would be Doha’s Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) approached the master of modernism about submitting a concept design.

Pei’s efforts resulted in an amalgam of simplistic beauty and geometric genius that drew inspiration from the ribat fortresses of Monastir and Sousse in Tunisia and the severity and simplicity of the ablutions fountain (sabil) at the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo.

Ultimately built on its own reclaimed island, the 376,740 ft² MIA was originally meant to be the centrepiece of the Doha Corniche until Pei got involved. His vision for the future of development around the original sites led to concerns of both crowding and contextualism.

“There were not yet too many buildings nearby, but I feared that in the future, large structures might overshadow it,” explained Pei during MIA’s opening ceremony. “I asked if it might not be possible to create my own site. This was very selfish of me of course, but I knew that in Qatar it is not too complicated to create landfill.”

Design Inspiration: A journey

Very soon after accepting his commission from HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Chairperson of the Qatar Museum Authority, Pei correctly reasoned that creating an Islamic building would require much more than including ‘traditional’ aesthetic elements.

In fact, Pei embarked on a journey to “grasp the essence of Islamic architecture” that saw him travel from Iberia to Mughal India to China in an effort to pinpoint architecture that evoked a truly Islamic inspiration.

Visits to the Grand Mosque (Cordoba, Spain), Jama Masjid Mosque (Fatehpur Sikri, India), the Umayyad Great Mosque (Damascus, Syria) as well as several mosques in Tunisia and China, Pei remained unsatisfied.

“I thought [the Grand Mosque in Cordoba] represented the pinnacle of Islamic architecture, but I was wrong. It was too lush and colourful…. The climate and culture of Spain meant that Cordoba was not the pure expression I was seeking.

The same was true, for different reasons, of the Jama Masjid…,” explained Pei. “Even the Umayyad Great Mosque in Damascus… seems to carry with it elements of Rome or early Christianity or Byzantine influences…. I went to Tunisia and although my intention had been to examine the mosques, I was taken with the ribat fortresses of Monastir and Sousse.”

After experiencing firsthand that which he believed to be the heart of his vision and being disappointed, Pei took some time for reflection. He began asking himself what he saw in those simple fortresses in Tunisia that he hadn’t seen in so many ‘icons’ of Islamic architecture.

He began reflecting on the dearth of information Le Corbusier learned from studying Mediterranean and Islamic architecture. Finally, it came to him: “If one could find the heart of Islamic architecture, might it not lie in the desert, severe and simple in its design, where sunlight brings forms to life?”

Answering his own question, Pei continues: “I believe I found what I was looking for in the Mosque of Ahmad Ibn Tulun in Cairo. The small ablutions fountain surrounded by double arcades on three sides…is an almost Cubist expression of the geometric progression of the octagon to the square and the square to the circle…. This severe architecture comes to life in the sun, with its shadows and shades of colour.”

Deriving inspiration from the austerity and simplicity of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Pei sought to juxtapose the harsh Doha sun against the geometric volumes of MIA, thereby highlighting the play on light and shadow.

That same juxtaposition is the reason for the museum having just one window – albeit a 45m (148ft) floor-to-ceiling effort that frames a panoramic view of the Arabian Gulf from all five floors of the atrium.

“I must admit that I have allowed myself another subjective decision, which was based on my feeling that Islamic architecture often comes to life in an explosion of decorative elements…,” says Pei, using the courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque or the interior of Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock as examples.

The Building: A functional piece of architecture

The mandate given to IM Pei in the original brief was to create a dedicated museum that would reflect the full vitality, complexity and diversity of art throughout the Islamic world.

Once finished, the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) promised MIA would become its flagship project and would ultimately transform the state of Qatar into the cultural capital of the Middle East. Under IM Pei’s architectural vision and the leadership of QMA’s Board of Trustees, that initial concept seems to be becoming a reality.

“With the opening of the Museum of Islamic Art, the state of Qatar has become an important contributor to the international art world,” says Abdulla Al Najjar, CEO of QMA.

“We are thrilled to be able to display more than 800 pieces in the inaugural installation of our permanent collection, including many masterpieces of Islamic art that have rarely or never been exhibited before,” agrees Oliver Watson, director of MIA.

MIA itself comprises a five-storey Main Building and a two-storey Education Wing, which are connected by a central courtyard. The Main Building’s angular volumes step back progressively as they rise around a 50m (164ft) central domed atrium. The dome is concealed from outside view by the walls of a central tower.

At the top of the atrium, an oculus captures and reflects patterned light around the stainless steel dome, which transforms the architecture into a showcase of light and shadow.

The form of the dome changes as the structure descends, so its perimeter becomes an octagon and then a square, which in turn is transformed into four triangular column supports. Two lanterns – each 100 feet tall – mark the boat dock on the west side of the museum, creating a VIP entrance for guests and visitors arriving by boat.

MIA’s education programmes are housed in a 29,000ft², two-storey wing which is located to the east of the fountain courtyard. The Education Wing – scheduled to open late 2009 – includes a light-filled reading room in the museum library, classrooms, workshops, study spaces, and technical and storage facilities.

Underscoring the central role of education in the MIA, the Education Wing will host educational and community activities to develop and foster an understanding and appreciation for Islamic art.