Qatar is entering a great new construction industry era despite the ongoing blockade, a successful entrepreneur has said. According to Mr Cagri Kurbal, owner of architectural materials supplier Merger Mimari, the blockade has forced the country’s construction industry to take control of this aspect – a change which will almost certainly prove advantageous to Qatar in the long-term. He says: ‘Project owners and architects are now deciding suitable designs and choosing the correct materials, and Qatar now has the advantage of applying its own directives and specs to these.’