The Qatar Faculty for Islamic Studies (QFIS) is the only building in the Gulf in the running for an international architecture prize handed out by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
The complex, which opened in Education City in March 2015 after three years of construction, will compete with 29 other entries for the title of “the most significant and inspirational building of the year.”
Hundreds of applications were submitted from 50 countries around the world, RIBA said in a statement. The long-list comprises buildings from 20 countries and will be whittled down over the coming six months.
An awards committee will visit all of the selected buildings this summer, and make a shortlist of 20 entries, which will be further reduced to a final six. Each of these will be visited by a grand jury during the autumn, and the winning entry will be announced in December.
In its statement, RIBA said: “The RIBA International Prize will be awarded to ‘the most significant and inspirational building of the year.’ The winning building will demonstrate visionary, innovative thinking and excellence of execution, whilst making a distinct contribution to its users and to its physical context.”
The jury will be chaired by British architect Richard Rodgers, whose previous work includes the Pompidou Center in Paris, London’s Millennium Dome (now 02 Arena).