Qatar pavilion gets huge response in Cannes

With more than 3,500 visitors in the first two days, the Qatar pavilion is garnering a great deal of attention at MIPIM 2012, a leading international real estate fair hosted this year in Cannes, France.

Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and Msheireb Properties, alongside Lusail Real Estate Development Company, are showcasing their top projects, with a special focus on Lusail City, to visiting industry professionals and guests at the pavilion.

While touring the interactive stand, CEO of MIPIM Paul Zilk commended the Qatari companies on the success of their pavilion, a first-of-its-kind structure at the main entrance of the Palais des Festivals.

“Qatari Diar and Lusail are at MIPIM to promote our signature projects in Qatar and across the globe, while helping to drive the dialogue on sustainable urban development within the global real estate industry,” said Essa Mohammed Ali Kaldari, CEO of Lusail Real Estate Development Company.

“We are featuring Lusail City at this key property event as the embodiment of our vision for a progressive, sustainable development that improves quality of life and contributes to the community,” he added.

Mohammad al Marri, projects director of Msheireb Properties, said: “Qatar returned to MIPIM with a bang, but our involvement this year was distinguished as much by the quality of our ideas as it was by the scale of our developments. Visitors to MIPIM in 2012 were hugely impressed by the imagination and synergies of Qatar’s world-class development companies, as well as the depth of the insights shared by the global industry speakers participating in the first-ever Qatar Urban Forum. Realising sustainable urban development is one of the key challenges facing present and future generations, and Qatar is showing through initiatives like the pavilion and forum that it has a leading role to play in addressing this challenge.”

The Qatar Pavilion, organised by Qatari Diar, Lusail and Msheireb Properties, is also serving as a venue for the inaugural Qatar Urban Forum—a new platform bringing together industry heavy weights to address the most pressing issues surrounding urban development.

Advertisement

In its second day, the forum focuses on the relationship between modernisation and cultural identity in urban design.

On the opening day of the forum, world-renowned architect Lord Richard Rogers said, “Qatar is one of the most exciting places in the world in terms of urban regeneration and sustainable development.” Lord Rogers went on to note the strong ‘sense of place’ he noticed in the projects displayed at the Qatar pavilion.

Essa Kaldari believes this sense of place in Lusail’s design comes from the company’s commitment to reflecting local culture and heritage while meeting the highest standards in sustainable and green building.

In addition to Lusail City, Qatari Diar’s dynamic portfolio of developments from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Americas were on display at the pavilion, which also received a visit from the Deputy Mayor of London Sir Edward Lister on MIPIM’s opening day.

Lister thanked the Qatari exhibitors for their investments in his city, chief among which are the Grosvenor Waterside, Chelsea Barracks and East Village projects.

Msheireb Downtown Doha aims to reverse the pattern of urban sprawl and heavy reliance on car transport that characterises the downtown of so many cities and entice residents back to the city centre by creating a realm that is truly integrated with multiple, interwoven usages.

Msheireb Properties’ distinctive mandate is to develop a modern downtown that takes cues from Qatari vernacular and urbanism, yet has a highly contemporary, sustainable approach: the entire scheme is targeting average LEED Gold certification, making it the world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project.

Qatari Diar, Lusail and Msheireb Properties will conclude their exhibition in Canne on Friday. The 2012 MIPIM is attended by more than 4,000 real estate investors, with over 19,000 participants from all regions of the world.

source: Qatar Tribune