Wasl Al-Bidda_ Suspended Plaza الوصل
>> location > doha, qatar
>> year > > 2025
Doha is a city of remarkable ambition — one that has redefined itself in just a few decades as a global cultural and urban hub. Yet during my time in Doha in 2024, I sensed the disconnection between the Corniche and the vibrant city fabric beyond it: two extraordinary urban anchors separated by a highway, rather than united in continuity. It was from this observation that the idea of Wasl Al-Bidda_ Suspended Plaza was born — a suspended plaza that reimagines infrastructure as civic space, stitching together city and sea.
At Kayn Studio, our work often focuses on the in-between — forgotten thresholds, derelict sites, and the potential of urban fragments to be reactivated as spaces of belonging. With a strong foundation in urban planning and heritage-sensitive design, we approach projects as opportunities to both repair and reimagine the city. In Wasl Al-Bidda_, this ethos translates into a proposal that transforms a point of separation into a ring of encounter — a continuous promenade for walking, cycling, gathering, and play.
The urban challenges we address in this proposal are not assumed but are drawn from our extensive research and engagement with academic and policy papers on Doha’s urbanism. These studies highlight pressing issues: car-dependent sprawl, fragmented polycentric growth, and a scarcity of safe, walkable public spaces. Surveys further reveal residents’ desire for shaded sidewalks, safe crossings, child-friendly areas, and neighborhood amenities. Our project responds directly to these findings, aligning with Qatar’s National Vision 2030 by providing shaded, human-centered mobility and socially vibrant public space.
Sustainability is embedded at multiple levels. Rammed earth structural walls and breathable terracotta tiles provide low-carbon, thermally resilient materiality. Suspended steel achieves lightness and permanence, while canopies derived from dhow sails and woven nets reinterpret local craft and heritage. These layers of form and material anchor the plaza in place, while offering microclimatic comfort for year-round usability.
Ultimately, Wasl Al-Bidda_ Suspended Plaza is both infrastructure and invitation. It offers residents and visitors a new horizon for Doha — a safe, shaded, and vibrant civic space that celebrates movement, encounter, and cultural memory. For our studio, this project represents not only an urban intervention but also a contribution to Doha’s ongoing story: a gesture of continuity, inclusivity, and resilience that gives back to the pedestrian at the heart of the city.
