The Education First Foundation, the Supreme Committee for Heritage Delivery, and their human and social heritage initiative, Generation Amazing Foundation, recently announced the donation of 27 tents designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. These tents will be provided to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Qatar Red Crescent to support refugees and displaced populations. This initiative also serves as part of Qatar’s legacy commitment for the FIFA World Cup 2022, aiming to create a lasting impact beyond the tournament. The announcement was made at the FIFA Fan Festival in Doha, inside the ZHA-EAA tent.
Three ZHA-EAA tents have already been used as schools for hundreds of displaced children from Pakistan and Syria in Pakistan and Türkiye respectively. The newly donated tents will serve as schools, clinics, and temporary shelters to aid refugee and homeless communities in Syria, Türkiye, and Yemen. Specifically, 15 tents will be allocated to the International Organization for Migration—10 for schools and 5 for community clinics in Türkiye and Yemen—while 12 tents will be provided to the Qatar Red Crescent Society to shelter displaced Syrian communities.
The ZHA-EAA tent is designed to maximize natural light and features a modular structure that is weather-resistant, making it easy to transport and reassemble. It incorporates recyclable and sustainable materials, making it an ideal solution for displaced populations. With over 70 million people displaced worldwide—half of whom are under 18—the Education First Foundation recognized the urgent need for infrastructure such as classrooms, temporary shelters, and medical centers for displaced children and their families. This collaboration with Zaha Hadid Architects resulted in a safe, multifunctional, and sustainable space where children can learn, play, and grow.
During the FIFA World Cup, football fans visited the ZHA-EAA tent, which hosted the “4-point Goal” event organized by the Education First Foundation at the FIFA Fan Festival. The event featured immersive art video exhibitions, discussions, games, and workshops designed to raise awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“We are proud to partner with Education Above Everything, an organization committed to investing in innovative designs that benefit disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. Together, we developed a durable, cost-effective, and lightweight modular building system using fabric shells. This system allows for versatile structures that adapt to the needs of displaced and mobile children. We hope these newly donated tents will offer a safe environment for learning and play to thousands of people in Yemen, Syria, and Türkiye,” said Gerry Cruz, Architect at Zaha Hadid Architects.
In other projects, Zaha Hadid Architects recently unveiled the Odessa 2030 master plan, which includes reusable exhibition halls. These halls are designed to be converted into an exhibition center after the Expo closes, and the national pavilion is planned to be dismantled and reused as a new civic building for Ukraine. Additionally, Zaha Hadid Architects revealed designs for a new science center in Singapore’s Jurong Lake District, developed in collaboration with Architects 61.
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