Msheireb Heart of Doha

Henderson Engineers conducted mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire alarm, technology, and security design services for several phases of Msheireb, an 86-acre site in Doha, the capital of Qatar. A LEED certified, master-planned development aiming to revitalize the heart of the city, the Msheireb project is an urban district with hotel, retail, apartments, townhomes, schools, and 450,000 SF of office space combining historical architecture and sustainable design. Henderson was awarded the contract through Burns and McDonnell, the executive architect for the project. Other architects from the United Kingdom also assisted with the design. In addition, the project was commissioned by Msheireb Properties (formerly Dohaland), a subsidiary of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development.

Since temperatures in Qatar can reach 120°F during the summer months, the project required a flexible set of engineering systems that could endure the rigors of a hot-dry climate with seasonal humidity. Several sustainable design elements included daylight controls, a gray-water system to reduce potable water demand, low-flow plumbing fixtures, energy efficient lighting, and energy recovery ventilators that decrease energy needed to cool and dehumidify the spaces.

Additionally, Henderson provided information and communication technology infrastructure design services. These services included structured cabling systems to support voice and data communication, telecommunications earthing and bonding, and cable pathways. Furthermore, Henderson provided design of the residential Integrated Reception System (IRS), which takes satellite television and terrestrial radio feeds from six sources and presents them via a distribution architecture at each television location. Henderson also provided the electronic physical security system design, which included identifying and specifying surveillance cameras and access control devices that met the full functional requirements of the project, while preserving the building aesthetics.