NTBAU Qatar Winter School at Heenat Salma Farm: Architecture, Ecology, and Tradition

The INTBAU Qatar Winter School is an annual program exploring the intersection of traditional architecture and sustainability. Hosted at Heenat Salma Farm, a site dedicated to regenerative practices, the program challenges prevailing development models by rethinking vernacular design as a foundation for resilient, ecologically attuned urbanism.

Bringing together international and Qatari participants from architecture and urban planning, the 2024 edition focused on crafting a master plan vision for Heenat Salma Village. Under the guidance of leading faculty, participants combined precedent studies, site analysis, and freehand drawing techniques to propose an integrated vision rooted in heritage and environmental responsibility.

The program blended theoretical inquiry with hands-on experience, lectures from experts, site visits, and practical workshops on materials, geometry, and permaculture. The culmination was a public exhibition showcasing design proposals that reimagine traditional architecture not as nostalgia, but as a critical response to contemporary environmental and urban challenges.

Through the Winter School, INTBAU Qatar fosters a deeper understanding of traditional knowledge as a driver of sustainable innovation, challenging the assumption that heritage and progress are at odds.