Before her death in 2016, Zaha Hadid had completed the design of an adaptive tent that is now providing shelter and life resources to Syrian refugees in Katara Village.
Hadid was known for her boundary-pushing designs, and whilst her iconic landmarks courted global attention, her intent behind them was to positively influence every building's local context. Now, Zaha Hadid Architects has taking that legacy further with Katara Village, where 30 Zaha Hadid-designed tents are offering a safe space for people displaced by conflict in northern Syria to heal and progress.
What is Katara Village?
The recently inaugurated Katara Village in Qabasin, northeast of Al-Bab in northern Syria, provides shelter and educational and health facilities to people displaced by the country’s current conflict. Designed to support families trying to rebuild their lives and offer a place of respite beyond the refugee camps, the development is located in an area where the majority of internally displaced Syrians have sought shelter since the war began in 2011.
According to United Nations figures, there are more than 12 million displaced Syrians across the region, while UNESCO states that the number of out-of-school children increased by six million between 2021 and 2023, reaching a total of 250 million. UNICEF estimates that there are nearly 15 million out-of-school children aged between five to 14 in the region, and at least 10 million others are at risk of dropping out of school, chiefly due to the conflict.
Constructed to the highest humanitarian and environmental standards, Katara Village aims to address this issue and ensure that as many children as possible benefit from an education.
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Which organisations have created Katara Village?
The project has been realised by Education Above All, a Qatari foundation established in 2012. It provides a vital lifeline for children and young people worldwide who have been displaced from education due to conflict and disaster. The organisation has trained nearly 400,000 teachers and granted over 9,800 scholarships, and it has collaborated on Katara Village with the Qatar Red Crescent Society, a charity that supports refugees and disadvantaged people.
Another key partner is Zaha Hadid Architects, which has been working with Education Above All since 2015 to create innovative temporary learning spaces for children. Tents designed by this partnership are already helping hundreds of children in Pakistan, Turkey and Yemen, and now the architectural firm has designed the Katara Village facilities.
“At Education Above All, we believe in education as a catalyst for change and sustainable development,” says Mohammed Al Kubaisi, director of purchases and operations at the organisation. “Katara Village exemplifies this belief, providing children and youth in need with an opportunity to learn and grow in safe and stimulating environments.”
What facilities does Katara Village have?
Both educational space and community hub, the 175-square-metre village has four school units and 30 Zaha Hadid-designed tents, as well as health facilities. It’s not only designed to provide displaced children with a modern learning environment, carefully calibrated to their needs, but also to serve as a flexible platform for community engagement, offering a safe, welcoming space for refugees.
What is the design of the Katara Village tent like?
You’ll recognise the swooping curves characteristic of late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid’s style in the village’s contemporary white buildings; completed before her death in 2016, the design of the tents suggests a modern variation on the Bedouin tent.
The 30 tents at Katara Village feature a unique coating that makes them fire-resistant and insulates them against the region’s harsh climate. The adaptable design is intended not only to provide high-quality transitional housing and schoolrooms but also to be durable and portable, allowing for easy dismantling and relocation when required.
“Equipped with essential educational resources and designed to foster a safe, engaging and stimulating atmosphere, the classrooms symbolise resilience and underscore the transformative power of education in rebuilding lives,” says a spokesperson for Education Above All.
