The Museum of Islamic Art 

LERA was the structural engineer for a new 340,000-sf (31,500-sm) museum, dramatically sited in Doha Bay and housing an important collection of Islamic art. Composed of architecturally exposed concrete, the museum consists of two distinct structures: a Ramp and Garage Building on land, and the Museum Building offshore. The two structures are connected by a double-deck vehicular bridge.

The complex contains five separate bridges. The double-deck vehicular bridge, along with a singular pedestrian bridge—both consisting of cast-in-situ tapered sections of architectural concrete—provide the sole means of access to the museum. Inside the facility, three 72-ft (22m) pedestrian bridges, structured in metal and glass, span the central atrium. In total, the bridges span 203-ft (62-m).

LERA was also involved in various work for the surrounding park, most recently with the addition of Richard Serra’s “7” sculpture, which consists of seven 78-ft-high by 8-ft-wide overlapping steel plates. LERA determined the geometric layout of the sculpture, reviewed the stability of the plates under wind and seismic loads and designed their supports and foundation system. The supports needed to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the plates due to the large temperature gradients in the Middle East, as well as the highly corrosive nature of the adjacent marine environment.

Location

Doha, Qatar

 

Owner 

Qatar Museums Authority

 

Architect

I.M. Pei in Association with Pei Partnership

 

Architect

Platinum Award for Engineering Excellence, 2008

American Council of Engineering Companies New York (ACEC NY)

 

Award of Merit - Out of Country, 2007

Concrete Industry Board (CIB) Roger H. Corbetta Awards Program