The documentation of vanishing architectural heritage includes intensive information and data gathering, filtering, classification and digitization. Enabling such an endeavor necessitates the act of documentation, which requires the cooperation of several professionals from different fields, extensive resources, precise organization, and robust structuring. Therefore, the design and development of an innovative digital platform to facilitate the interaction between users from different specialties is highly desirable to enable dynamic real-time preservation and protection of such invaluable heritage. The aim of this study is to investigate the existing Qatari built heritage, urban conservation methods and the principles of modern digitizing and archiving techniques to create a sustainable and interactive archiving platform—Qatar Historic Buildings Information Modeling (Q-HBIM) platform. This unique digital platform aims to respond to the needs of the society as well as the experts in the fields of urban heritage conservation and buildings restoration. A literature review was conducted on topics relating to Qatar urban heritage and the principles of three-dimensional digitization technology including an exploration of the aspects of sustainable urban preservation. Accordingly, site analysis (physical, photogrammetric and 3D scanning techniques were used), and in-depth interviews were adopted as the main data collection techniques. The findings of this study elucidate the principles of innovative architectural heritage digitization tools involving Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology and processes. It is anticipated that the present work will formulate an advanced and unique interactive archiving tool in the context of Qatar and GCC/MENA regions in the shape of the: Qatar Historic Building Information Modeling (Q-HBIM) platform.

Historic urban cores are the backbone of a city’s cultural identity. Maintaining and preserving the socio-cultural, environmental and economic characteristics of the built heritage is vital for cultural identity survival. The Gulf region gathered important architectural and urban richness observed through the massive military towers, mosques, houses, palaces and grand souks. The state of Qatar is under huge pressure to preserve its cultural identity, which resulted from the rapid development, population growth, urban expansion and economic boom since the 1970s. The cities of Qatar are facing difficult challenges to preserve the cultural identity and built heritage without compromising the need for development. Consequently, this study aims to define a set of heritage restoration-preservation tools and an integrated sustainable conservation strategy as part of deliberate planning and design processes. This, certainly, will help achieve sustainable future scenarios for the survival of vernacular architecture and historic buildings in Qatar through their sustained adaptive (re)use.

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The research study aligns with the social sciences, art and humanities, themes of the main research priority areas of the four ARC'18 pillars (The Context) Recent Transit oriented development in Qatar embodies transportation and land use planning strategies targeting a cardinal improvement based on shifting from a car dependent era-associated with intense traffic congestion and environmental impacts- to public transport dependent era. The correlation between practicality of form, use, and density in transit driven urban development goes far beyond environmental influence; it also acts as a stimulus for livability, cultural stability, mobility, and socioeconomic performance. (The problem) Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) does not automatically generate better livability. The absence of a well-planned mediating element between complexity of transit stations and surrounding developments can result in TOD exclusion and decay. The comprehensive planning of multifaceted relations between built environment, mobility network and social interactions is the key to TODs revitalizing the sources of the city. (The Objective) This research study aims to form alternate integration strategies related to how public transit systems and land use fit into the larger challenge of urban transformation and regeneration, particularly focusing on the TODs of Alwakrah, Alsadd, West bay). Three governance arrangements are distinguished at the station, corridor and neighborhood levels as a catalyst for progressive sustainable urbanism and smart growth around transit stations in Qatar. (The research Design) Subsequent to a comprehensive discussion of existing literature on TODs' spatial urban form towards the improvement of livability by enhancing social interactions and capital, a thorough analysis of Alwakrah, Westbay and Alsadd transit urban zones is performed based data collected from surveys, in-depth interviews of key personal in planning authorities and site analysis documentation. (The findings and contribution to knowledge) The three primary cases are investigated and discussed individually to evaluate possible conceptual integration strategies of TODs in Qatar. The identification of ultimate relations between the morphology of single urban development features into the overall TOD environment, whilst considering social and cultural stability as a doctrine in means to resemble the incremental prototypical model of development strategies and policy making in TOD future vision of Qatar, will contribute to define measuring tools for the contemporary development of transit urban villages, where a sense of heritage, community and livability are enhanced by well-connected physical urban arrangements.