Education City is the flagship development of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (Qatar Foundation), a non-profit organisation that was set up in 1995 by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani to lead the country’s transformation into a modern, knowledge-based economy by 2030.

Located on the western edge of Doha, Education City covers a 1,500-hectare plot and houses most of the initiatives Qatar Foundation has backed. These include eight branch campuses of international universities, Qatar Science & Technology Park, the $2.3bn Sidra Medical & Research Centre, a convention centre, an equestrian centre, a diabetes centre, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and the Al-Jazeera Children’s Channel television station.

Since 2006, Qatar Foundation has launched more than $6.5bn-worth of construction projects at Education City. The schemes are managed by Astad, the joint-venture project management company formed by the foundation and state energy firm Qatar Petroleum.

Qatar Foundation has enlisted world-renowned architects to design the buildings at the site in order to create aesthetically striking, modern facilities that reflect both the surrounding environment and Qatar’s Islamic heritage, while being practical.

The masterplan for the campus was drawn up by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, who also designed several buildings on the campus. Sustainability has been a central element of the projects and Qatar Foundation has set itself the target of earning LEED green-building ratings for all its future developments.

The site is also intended to have a main railway station, which will connect a light rail system for travel within the campus to the Doha metro planned by the government. The station will also allow access to the GCC railway when it is built.

About one-third of the scheme has been completed and the rest is due for completion by 2020. Additional land has been acquired adjacent to Education City, allowing for further expansion.