Now and then: Fire Station, From Civil Defence to Creative Space

From public service to cultural vision

Built in 1982, Fire Station served as the headquarters of Qatar’s Civil Defence, answering to the Ministry of Interior, for over three decades—a place defined by readiness, response, and public service. The location was a functioning fire station up until 2012 and remains one of the most familiar sites in the country to locals and long-term residents alike.

In 2013, Qatar Museums (QM) began reimagining the building’s future as part of a wider vision led by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums.This transformation positioned Fire Station as a long‑term platform for artistic development, supporting practice, mentorship, and public engagement within QM’s wider cultural ecosystem

Rather than replacing the structure, the transformation focused on preserving its recognisable exterior while redefining its purpose within Doha’s cultural landscape. So, what did change and how was the space reutilised?

Then and Now: Fire Station

• 1982 – Built as Qatar’s Civil Defence headquarters
• 2012 – Operational fire station use concludes
• 2015 – Reopens as Fire Station, a contemporary art and residency hub
• 2025 – The Artists Intensive Study Programme (AISP) is established

Reimagining the space

A redesign, led by Qatari architect Ibrahim Al Jaidah, retained the building’s character while adapting its interior to support artistic practice. When Fire Station reopened in 2015, it introduced a new spatial model centered on creating and exchange.

The building now includes artist studios, multiple exhibition spaces, and areas for community engagement—shifting its function from emergency response to creative production while maintaining visible traces of its past; a design strategy in line with Qatar’s commitment for cultural preservation.

Beyond studios and galleries, Fire Station operates as a multipurpose contemporary art centre, with facilities that support production, display, and learning—including exhibition halls, an auditorium, workshops, and a fab-lab—alongside communal spaces for seminars and exchange.

Fire Station is also home to a beloved restaurant, Café #999, Michelin award-winning chef Alain Ducasse’s third restaurant in Qatar. It also hosts art supply store Cass Art, stocking everything from acrylic paints to legendary pencil colour label Faber Castell.

Supporting artistic development

At the heart of Fire Station is its commitment to nurturing artistic talent. The Artists in Residence programme established a foundation for supporting emerging artists through space, mentorship, and curatorial access. This later evolved into the Artists Intensive Study Programme (AISP) under the leadership of Artistic Director Wael Shawky.

Today, AISP represents a transformative, fully funded programme designed for 20 emerging Qatari and international visual artists annually.  The programme offers an intensive, interdisciplinary environment where artists refine technical skills, deepen conceptual approaches, and expand their artistic practices.

The curriculum combines:

• Talks and panel discussions
• Group critiques and critical discourse
• One-on-one mentorships and studio critiques
• Practice-based workshops

By integrating studio practice with academic rigour and critical dialogue, AISP complements traditional art education while fostering a new generation of innovative, critically engaged artists.

International tutors and leading artists participate throughout the year, often delivering public lectures that extend the programme’s impact beyond its participants.

The current AISP cycle will culminate in a final exhibition in October 2026 — a public presentation of the artists’ year-long research, experimentation, and production.

Past themes have included Portals in Flux, which explored memory and imagined worlds within the same space, A House Overlooking the World, with overarching questions about identity and belonging, and The Present: The Future of the Past, highlighting the power of artistic processes.

A space for community and exchange

Today, Fire Station extends beyond its studios to function as a wider cultural destination. Through exhibitions, talks, workshops, and film screenings, it invites audiences to engage directly with artistic ideas and processes.

Its impact goes beyond individual programmes: Fire Station has become a point of connection between artists, curators, and the public—bringing contemporary practice into open conversation and strengthening a visible creative community in Doha.

Fire Station’s transformation reflects a broader shift in how spaces can serve the community—from a site of public service to one of cultural exchange—carrying its past into its present while supporting the artists shaping its future.