Doha, Qatar
2021
The debut of Al Jazeera’s revitalized and sprawling flagship facilities in Doha features three distinct studios and two high-end newsrooms, each capable of 360° shooting plans supported by cutting-edge technology and automations.
Enlisted in late 2020, New York based Clickspring Design worked extensively with multiple teams at Al Jazeera over the course of four months to produce the masterplan and individual set designs. The creative brief was uncompromising: the broadcast environments would require the highest quality technology, aesthetics, finishes, and performance for a network that understood the long-term need for flexibly adapting to use cases that can often vary by the minute.
One of two main studios was designed for Al Jazeera’s nightly newscast, Al Hassad. Its aesthetic is an intentional departure from the sweeping white curvilinear forms of its neighboring studio, instead focusing on a more intimate, warm, and residential look-and-feel.
The studio is also double height, connected by a dramatic spiral stair to an upper mezzanine and illuminated by integrated LED strips within the treads. A robust edge-lit chandelier is suspended over the main anchor position, which also incorporates an integrated LED floor.
Three additional tracking LED monitors support floor-to-ceiling perimeter LED screens, which provide the studio the same flexibility for various graphic looks as its neighboring counterpart. Finally, two touch-screen desks allow presenters and guests to seamlessly access and interact with real-time data formatted for multiple on-air augmented and digital visualizations.
The two main studios are separated by a segmented tracking partition that can be fully opened to unite the spaces for specialty broadcasts. While aesthetically disparate, the two environments were designed to play as one, continuous space when required. This flexibility is achieved through the use of the tracking cameras, LED light fixtures, and highly dynamic, integrated LED screens.
