Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha has tapped Lebanese architect Lina Ghothem to lead a major campus expansion. The news arrives as the Qatari institution celebrates its 15th anniversary, and figures into an ambitious phase of cultural development underway in the Arabian Gulf nation. 

“The Arab Museum of Modern Art is an unrivalled institution,” Ghothem said in a statement. “This expansion will offer a remarkable platform for presenting art and ideas, particularly by artists from our part of the world.”

Ghothem’s plan will deepen Mathaf’s research and education capabilities, and generally aim to foster richer social interactions between visitors, according to a statement from the institution. The ground floor lobby and library, for example, will be redesigned as an open space inspired by majlis (traditional, often exquisitely decorated, meeting rooms or parlors for receiving guests). The Mathaf library is a significant cultural space already, as it holds publications from across the region; the upgraded space will feature those titles along with ones from the Qatar Museums. Following the expansion, which includes an expanded cafe and book and gift shop, it will be conceptually repositioned as the heart of the museum campus.