The State of Qatar today announced that it is dedicating a key site on Doha’s waterfront to a new headquarters for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is known globally for its mediating role. Created to establish a more visible civic presence for the nation’s diplomatic service and offer the public unprecedented access to the Ministry complex, the project will transform a prominent section of the city’s iconic Corniche. Through an invited international competition, the commission to design the headquarters has been awarded to architect Frida Escobedo, founder and principal of the Mexico City and New York-based Frida Escobedo Studio. Rising beside the waters of Doha Bay, the 70,000 square meter (750,000 square foot) complex will be a combination of new construction and the adaptive reuse of a beloved historic structure at the site, set within an abundantly landscaped environment.
The initiation of the plan to create the new complex, aims at making this building the first major one to be constructed in decades in the coastal area that curves northward from Qatar’s seat of government, the Amiri Diwan. To enhance the visibility of the Ministry’s mission of mediation, conflict resolution, and cultural diplomacy, the 1985 General Post Office—known for its distinctive modernist ‘pigeonholes’—will be assimilated into the complex. This major public building will be preserved and adapted in part as a space for public programming associated with the Ministry’s role in cultural diplomacy.
His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said,” I am grateful to His Highness The Amir for his vision for the nation. MOFA’s new headquarters that will be built, will represent an icon for the nation’s diplomacy, and a source of pride for our people through reflecting Qatar’s leading global role in diplomatic negotiations and fostering productive international dialogue and cooperation. Many thanks to H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani for her role in ensuring that this new home for the Ministry will support all our needs within an extraordinary architectural landmark.”
Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, led the competition in her role as Chairperson of Qatar Blueprint, a comprehensive initiative to guide development across the nation in cooperation with public entities and the private sector. Creation of the new Ministry headquarters will include a public cultural component in the repurposed General Post Office. The project advances Qatar Blueprint’s goals for urban and architectural planning, heritage preservation, adaptive reuse initiatives, and excellence in architectural design.
Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa said, “I thank His Highness The Amir for elevating Qatar’s global position and role. I also thank His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs for his efforts to elevate Qatar’s role as a prominent and active player in international diplomacy. Sincere appreciation goes to Ashghal, Qatar’s Public Works Authority, for its cooperation throughout the competition. I warmly congratulate Frida Escobedo, a major international talent, on her selection to design the new Ministry headquarters. Her design furthers our commitment to heritage preservation through sustainability and adaptive reuse while giving Qatar its next architectural masterpiece.”
Frida Escobedo’s human-scaled and courtyard-centered design envisions the new Ministry of Foreign Affairs complex in Doha as a rhythmic composition of volumes that build on one another, creating a threshold between Qatar’s heritage and its global future. Gently terracing northward, the new construction will preserve sightlines of the iconic General Post Office, incorporating elements into its façade as part of a vital adaptive reuse endeavor, while visually anchoring the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the site’s history. The building’s exterior will form an enveloping structure composed of vertical pillars that balance shade, privacy and transparency, and an inviting interior will feature a series of green patios designed for reflection, gathering, and art. This dialogue between architecture and landscape will extend into the General Post Office, whose ground floor will be transformed into an exhibition space that transitions into a covered garden. Rooted in the nation’s ongoing investment in diplomacy, art, and architecture, the project reaffirms Qatar’s role both as a cultural anchor for Doha and a symbolic gateway to the world.
Frida Escobedo Studio, with Buro Happold engineers and Studio Zewde landscape designers, was selected out of an initial group of 40 invited architectural teams and a shortlist of seven. In keeping with the mission of the Ministry, the selection process was fully international, with architects from every continent invited to participate. The competition was organised and managed by Malcolm Reading Consultants on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Qatar Museums.
About Frida Escobedo
Frida Escobedo established her studio in Mexico City in 2006 and opened a New York studio in 2022. The studio’s reputation was initially built on the strength of a series of projects in her native country, including the renovation of the Hotel Boca Chica (2008), the El Eco Pavilion (2010), and the expansion of La Tallera Siqueiros in Cuernavaca (2012). The studio gained international recognition in 2018, when Escobedo received the prestigious appointment to design the annual Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens, becoming the youngest architect to that date to undertake the project.
Frida Escobedo was appointed in 2022 as the design architect for the new Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing for Modern and Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, becoming the youngest architect, and first woman, to design a building for the institution. In 2024, she was selected as a co-designer to lead architect Moreau Kusunoki to lead the renovation of the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Other major recent projects include The Ray Harlem (2025) in New York (with Handel Architects), a mixed-used project incorporating residences, commercial space, and the new home of the National Black Theatre; and Otis Plaza (2024) in San Francisco, with Fletcher Studio and support from Multistudio.
Frida Escobedo is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Architectural League of New York’s Young Architects Forum Award (2009), the BIAU Prize (2014), the Architectural Review Emerging Architecture Award (2016), and the Architectural League Emerging Voices Award (2017). In 2019, she was honored as an International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Most recently, the Créateurs Design Association & Awards honored Frida Escobedo with Le Prix Charlotte Perriand for 2024.
Frida Escobedo taught at Universidad Iberoamericana, Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, the Architectural Association of London, Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, Rice University, and Yale University.
About Qatar Blueprint
Formed as a think-tank under the directive of His Highness The Amir of Qatar and chaired by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar Blueprint visualises planning scenarios for the nation through comprehensive research and creative direction. Based on an understanding of the unique assets of the country—its regional positioning, history, and current social and physical context—and by the National Vision 2030, Qatar Blueprint considers what should be built or developed, at what place, across the country’s eight municipalities.
Qatar Blueprint supports major stakeholders in looking at how Qatar’s major sectors can be activated to enhance the quality of life for the citizens and multinational residents of Qatar and attract the regional and global audience. Qatar Blueprint publishes its findings in quarterly bulletins, which will culminate in a final exhibition and publication.
Qatar Museums
Now marking its 20th anniversary, Qatar Museums (QM), the nation’s preeminent institution for art and culture, provides authentic and inspiring cultural experiences through a growing network of museums, heritage sites, festivals, public art installations, and programmes. QM preserves and expands the nation’s cultural offerings, sharing art and culture from Qatar, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) with the world and enriching the lives of citizens, residents, and visitors.
Under the patronage of His Highness The Amir of Qatar and led by its Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa, QM has made Qatar a vibrant centre for the arts, culture, and education in the Middle East and beyond. QM is integral to the goal of developing an innovative, diverse, and progressive nation, bringing people together to ignite new thinking, spark critical cultural conversations, and amplify the voices of Qatar’s people. Since its founding in 2005, QM has overseen the development of museums and festivals including the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) and MIA Park, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ), 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, ALRIWAQ, and QM Gallery Katara. Future projects include Dadu: Children’s Museum of Qatar, Art Mill Museum, Qatar Auto Museum and the Lusail Museum.
Through its newly created Creative Hub, QM also initiates and supports projects—such as the Fire Station, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival, M7, the creative hub for innovation, fashion and design, Liwan Design Studios and Labs, and Design Doha—that nurture artistic talent and create opportunities to build a strong and sustainable cultural infrastructure.
Animating everything that QM does is an authentic connection to Qatar and its heritage, a steadfast commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, and a belief in creating value through invention.
