Intbau Qatar

A day of attentive looking and thoughtful exchange. From field studies of mosques and sacred spaces in Simaisma and Katara, to walking the layered histories of Souq Waqif, learning unfolded through place and presence.
 
The day concluded with reflective seminars by Patrick Laude on Art as Metaphysics and Spirituality, and by MK Harb on what ethnography can offer architectural understanding, deepening the dialogue between built form, culture, and meaning.

An immersive learning journey rooted in place, practice, and shared ways of seeing. Through observation, making, and dialogue, the Winter School explores traditional architecture and timeless design as living knowledge.

An initiative by INTBAU and Caravane Earth, hosted at Heenat Salma Farm, this 14-day experience unfolds as a space for reflection, learning, and meaningful exchange, setting the tone for the days ahead.

The INTBAU Qatar Winter School 2025 is a hands-on journey through craft, environment, and community, bringing together specialists, academics, practitioners, and students. Over two immersive weeks, participants engage in lectures, workshops, and studio work that cultivate a deep appreciation of traditional and Islamic architecture. Rooted in collaboration and critical thinking, the program encourages learning by doing and reflecting together.

INTBAU Qatar's Winter School 2025 Craft, Environment and Community
Date: 21 December- 03 January 2026
Location: Heenat Salma Farm, Qatar
Applications are open!
Winter School Registration – INTBAU Qatar
Through lectures, field study, workshop, and design studios, participants study Qatar’s craft and building traditions from mud and palm construction to seafaring and nomadic architectures to reinterpret them as strategies for adaptation in a warming world.
Over fourteen intensive days, students and professionals collaborate on a pilot design intervention, combining traditional wisdom with contemporary sustainability. Each edition leaves a measurable legacy: new documentation, new partnerships, and a growing network of practitioners devoted to building with care, context, and continuity.

At INTBAU Qatar Winter School, design comes to life through hands-on engagement. Participants connected architecture with ecology, shaping a herbal spiral using traditional methods and natural materials. This exercise embodies how thoughtful design can nurture both people and the land.

Designed by the master architect Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil, the Stone Lodge stands as a timeless example of traditional architecture in harmony with its environment. Built with locally sourced limestone, the structure celebrates permanence, thermal comfort, and the enduring beauty of natural materials.

During Winter School 2024, participants explored the art of architectural geometry, crafting intricate designs with rulers and compasses. Meanwhile, faculty member Taimoor Khan Mumtaz collaborated with his student to build a geometric structure, envisioned as a canopy for the shaded streets of the designed village.

At the Winter School 2024 Exhibition, students and participants presented their masterplan proposals for Heenat Salma Farm, showcasing innovative ways to merge traditional urban–rural models with ecological harmony. The program served not only as a platform for learning but also as an inspiration, encouraging participants to reinterpret traditional practices to address contemporary global architectural challenges.