Elemental Wins Art Mill International Design Competition in Doha

Elemental, the Chilean architecture studio founded by Alejandro Aravena, has won the Art Mill International Design Competition for a new art center on Doha's bay. The competition drew 489 entries from 56 countries, narrowed to 26 in the second phase and eight in the final shortlist. The jury, chaired by Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, selected Elemental's proposal for its serene, structural approach. Other finalists included Renzo Piano Building Workshop (the only Italian team), Adam Khan Architects, Atelier Bow-Wow, and junya.ishigami + associates. Commissioned by Qatar Museums, the Art Mill is the third architectural milestone in Doha's strategy to become a global art capital, following the 2008 opening of I.M. Pei's Museum of Islamic Art and the forthcoming National Museum of Qatar by Jean Nouvel. The project involves repurposing a Qatar Flour Mills plant built in the 1980s, covering 83,500 square meters. Elemental's design, developed with Transsolar, Schlaich Bergermann & Partner, and Stantec, integrates existing silos for cooling. Sheikha Al Mayassa praised the silo treatment as creating a memorable, calm strategy. The Art Mill is expected to be operational for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.