“[that] which does not change does not endure” – Henri Bergson Numbers only quantify the development Qatar is experiencing. In Doha, the city is a physical manifestation of these changes. The general approach to development follows a ‘tear down, build new’ model. Potential value is lost in what is discarded, despite necessity and convenience. This study addresses the topic by dispelling the assumed need to destroy in order to build. In doing so, it examines existing vernacular spaces that are often overlooked. The main application is analyzed through agents of space, such as buildings and the urban environment with varied outcomes. The study introduces and encourages an alternative narrative to the existing approach through transformative principles of preservation. It addresses the core concepts of temporality and permanence by negotiating what to retain and/or what to alter. Consequently, trace plays a major role as a process of honoring and embracing the past by materializing it. Incorporating novel elements allow for a shift in perception to occur. Value becomes a method of enriching and elevating a topic, idea, artifact, material, function, or experience.