Iwan Baan
  • Photography
  • Books
  • Exhibitions
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Qatar National Library – OMA

Qatar National Library – OMA

2018

Designed by OMA, the Qatar National Library redefines the library as a monumental civic space and a hub for knowledge exchange in the heart of Doha’s Education City. Rather than stacking floors, the design unfolds as a single, expansive room—gently terraced to form a topography of reading, learning, and gathering.

The open-plan structure places books, people, and resources within immediate reach of one another. A central void carved into the floor reveals the Heritage Library, housing rare and historic texts, and anchoring the institution’s connection to regional culture and history.

Clad in glass and framed by white angular facades, the building is both futuristic and accessible—an architectural statement about transparency, openness, and the enduring power of public space.

See also: Wallpaper – Book club: inside OMA’s Qatar National Library

Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite

Tags:

  • Doha,
  • Library,
  • OMA,
  • Qatar,
  • Qatar,
  • and Rem Koolhaas

Other projects tagged with Doha, Library, OMA, Qatar, Qatar and Rem Koolhaas

Queens Library – Steven Holl

Queens Library – Steven Holl

Sun Tower Yantai – OPEN Architecture

Sun Tower Yantai – OPEN Architecture

Shadows travelling on the sea of the day – Olafur Eliasson

Shadows travelling on the sea of the day – Olafur Eliasson

National Museum of Qatar NMoQ – Jean Nouvel

National Museum of Qatar NMoQ – Jean Nouvel

Musashino Art University Library, Tokyo Japan – Sou Fujimoto

Musashino Art University Library, Tokyo Japan – Sou Fujimoto

Tama Art University Library, Tokyo – Toyo Ito

Tama Art University Library, Tokyo – Toyo Ito

Libreria Bookshop – Selgas Cano

Libreria Bookshop – Selgas Cano

Alexis de Tocqueville library, Caen, France – OMA – Barcode Architects

Alexis de Tocqueville library, Caen, France – OMA – Barcode Architects

Seattle Public Library – OMA/LMN Rem Koolhaas

Seattle Public Library – OMA/LMN Rem Koolhaas

Red Location Cultural Precinct, Port Elizabeth – Noero Wolff

Red Location Cultural Precinct, Port Elizabeth – Noero Wolff

Library Espana, Medellin, Colombia – Giancarlo Mazzanti

Library Espana, Medellin, Colombia – Giancarlo Mazzanti

Seattle Public Library – OMA/LMN Rem Koolhaas

Seattle Public Library – OMA/LMN Rem Koolhaas

  • Home
  • Portfolio
  • Qatar National Library – OMA

Iwan Baan Photography, Rozenstraat 145, 1016 NP Amsterdam, The Netherlands, e-mail: studio@iwan.com — all images © Iwan Baan 1996 - 2025