The document discusses the design and functionality of the Qatar National Library, created by architect Rem Koolhaas, emphasizing its role as a community space that balances information accessibility with preservation. The library's innovative architecture features an open-plan design that integrates modern materials and technology, showcasing the evolution of knowledge while accommodating contemporary needs. It highlights the use of natural light, various collaboration spaces, and preservation facilities, reflecting Qatar's cultural transformation and modernization.

1. QATAR NATIONAL LIBRARY
▪BY. MUNAZZAR SHAIKH
2ND YR B.ARCH R.P.COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

2. OBJECTIVEOFSTUDY
▪ To study use and applicability of the library in modern
context.
▪ To study the modern concept related to library design.
▪ To study use of modern materials as a mode of expression of
architecture.
▪ To study play of light, ventilation forms, spaces, materials in
the contemporary context relating with library design.

3. BRIEF

4. AR. REM KOOLHAAS
Born Remment Lucas Koolhaas
17 November 1944 (age 75)
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Nationality Dutch
Alma mater Architectural Association School of
Architecture, Cornell University
Occupation Architect
Architectural theorist
Urbanist
Awards Pritzker Prize (2000)
Praemium Imperiale (2003)
Royal Gold Medal (2004)
Leone d'oro alla carriera (2010)
Practice Office for Metropolitan Architecture
Buildings Casa da Música in Porto
De Rotterdam
Seattle Central Library
Netherlands Embassy Berlin
China Central Television
Headquarters
Qatar National Library, 2017
Projects Volume Magazine

5. PHILOSOPHY
Buildings designed according to the principles of “Conscious Inspiration“
or copy paste, are identified by means of three principles:
1. You can easily identify the sources of idea,
2. There is a clear expression of unique planning tools,
3. Stands out, the architect’s invention.
The“Conscious Inspiration Method‘,HowitWorks?
First step: the inspiration Source.
Second step: Developing the Conscious Inspiration
tools. Third step: Realizethe design idea.

6. INFLUECEDBY
▪ Koolhaas was influenced by post modern Japanese
architectural theory as well as his experience in
reconstruction and invention in the Netherlands and
Indonesia
▪ Growing up in this period of rebuilding gave
▪ Koolhaas the understanding that architecture had to
accommodate modern needs. It left an indelible
impression on him, and he understood the
importance of planning architecture and
accommodating architecture to the needs of a
global world.

7. STYLE
Rem Koolhaasis, in fact, so different that scholars have difficulty
classifying him. Is he a :
DECONSTRUCTIVIST, MODERNIST, STRUCTURALIST
▪ Rem Koolhaas has been called in turns Modernist and
Deconstructivist, yet he leans toward Humanism. His work searches
for a link between technology and humanity. Koolhaas refused to
refer to past styles (he called for an “end to sentimentality”),
choosing instead to engage directly with the true gritty character of
the modern world.
▪ The combination of Koolhaas’s theoretical writings with his fondness
for asymmetry, challenging spatial explorations, and unexpected
uses of color led many to classify him as a deconstructivist.
However, his work, unlike that of other deconstructivists, does not
rely heavily on theory, and it is imbued with a strong sense of
humanity and a concern for the role that architecture plays in
everyday life, particularly in an urban context. This grounding in
reality was reflected in Koolhaas’s keen interest in urban planning,
most notably in a mastercity center in Lille, France (1985–95),
through which he transformed business, entertainment, and
residential centre. His celebrated Grand elliptical structure utilizing
plastic and aluminum,was at the centre of this plan

8. INTRODUCTION
▪ Qatar National Library's state-of-the-art building, located in
the heart of Education City, is a community space for Qatar’s
residents and helps facilitate the effective exchange of ideas
and communal learning.
▪ The 45,000-square-meter building encourages visitors to
explore the progression of knowledge from the past to the
present. It achieves a delicate balance between information
availability and accessibility on the one hand, and content
preservation and conservation on the other.

9. CONCEPT
▪ World-renowned architect Rem Koolhaas's design
resembles two pieces of paper that are pulled apart and
folded diagonally at the corners to create a shell-like
structure, enclosing the open-plan interior.
▪ The main interior space is designed to allow a precise
amount of daylight to enter and maintain a connection to the
world outside. Daylight filters through the glass façade,
providing natural light that is conducive to reading and
socializing.The bookshelves themselves are an integral part
of the building itself, rising out of the floor and highlighting
the value of books in Qatari culture.
▪ A blend of classical materials, such as marble for the Heritage
Library, and modern materials, such as stainless steel for the
other collections, combine to emphasize the progression of
knowledge from the past to the present.

10. VIDEOCLIP

12. MATERIALS
▪ From the exterior, the building’s concrete corners are folded
up off the ground, revealing a much smaller entrance
threshold while providing a transitional shaded space from
the Doha heat.
▪ A facade of corrugated glass and a reflective aluminium
ceiling are designed to filter and diffuse the bright sunlight to
create the optimum light level for reading. Outside, a sunken
patio allows light to filter to the basement levels .
▪ The bookshelves are meant to be part of the building both in
terms of materiality – they are made of the same white marble
as the floors – and of infrastructure – they incorporate
artificial lighting, ventilation, and the book return system.

13. TECHNOLOGY
Innovative technologies are seamlessly integrated
throughout the building, enhancing accessibility and
efficiency without detracting from the overall aesthetic.
These include:
▪ Automated self-checkout and return stations, and a radio
frequency identification (RFID) book sorter system, allow for
convenient access to the Library's materials.
▪ A people mover system transports library users throughout
the shelving tiers, making the collection easily accessible for
all visitors.
▪ A wide range of computer systems, tablets, interactive
screens and audiovisual equipment throughout the building

14. PRESERVING
HERITAGE
As the repository for some of the nation and region's most
important cultural and historical items, the Library is
committed to providing an environment that will preserve
this information for generations to come.To achieve that,
the building includes:
Climate-controlled display cases in the Heritage Library and
throughout the building to showcase the collection.
The dedicated Conservation and Preservation Laboratory that
actively works to restore and protect items in the Heritage
Library.
The Digitization Laboratory, which digitizes items from the
Library and other collections and makes them available to
scholars worldwide

15. FUNCTION
The Library has numerous facilities for individual and
group collaboration, research and study.These include:
▪ Assistive technology room including 16 computer stations
with adjustable levelling,
▪ equipped with cutting-edge hardware and software
technologies
▪ A dedicated area for young adults
▪ A 686-square-meter Children’s Library
▪ 4-room Innovation Station
▪ 2 instruction rooms
▪ A computer lab
▪ 8 group study rooms
▪ 28 individual study carrels
▪ 3 media viewing rooms
▪ 26 large interactive screens and 465 computers
▪ A 200-seat Special Events Area with lights,an LED screen,
▪ speakers and noise-dampening curtains
▪ A 120-seat auditorium
▪ A restaurant and a café

16. PLANS

17. GROUNDLEVELPLAN

18. LOWERLEVELPLAN

19. TIERPLAN

20. EXTERIORS

26. SECTIONS

29. MODELS

33. ▪ Dutch architecture
firm OMA has
completed its Qatar
National Library
building in Doha,
which features tiers of
marble bookcases set
within a single open-
plan space.
▪ "The interior is so
large it's on an almost
urban scale: it could
contain an entire
population, and also
an entire population of
books,“says Rem
Koolhaas
▪

34. The edges of the building
are lifted from the ground,
creating three aisles
which accommodate the
book collection and, at
the same time, enclose a
central triangular space.

35. The bookshelves are
meant to be part of the
building both in terms of
materiality — they are
made of the same white
marble as the floors —
and infrastructure — they
incorporate artificial
lighting, ventilation, and
the book return system.

36. ▪ The heritage collection
is placed at the center of
the library in a six-
meter-deep excavated
space, clad with beige
travertine.
▪ The collection can also
operate autonomously,
directly accessible from
the outside.

37. Each side of the building
lifts at the edges, creating
a diamond-shaped
exterior profile and an
internal space organised
around three aisles of
books enclosing a central
triangular space.

38. Directly accessible from
the outside, this section
can function
independently of the main
library.

39. A facade of corrugated
glass and a reflective
aluminium ceiling are
designed to filter and
diffuse the bright
sunlight to create the
optimum light level for
reading. Outside, a
sunken patio allows light
to filter to the basement
levels .

40. ▪ Inside, display shelves
stretch out across
terraces in every
corner of the 138-
metre-long library, and
platforms jut out over
the archives sunk into
the centre of the
structure.
▪ "We designed the
space so you can see all
the books in a
panorama," said OMA
co-founder Rem
Koolhaas.

41. The shelves are central to
the design and function of
the library. Each one is
made from the same
white marble as the floors
and infrastructure, and
incorporate the lighting,
ventilation and even the
book return system.

42. MYLIVECASE
STUDY
2ND DECEMBER 2019

51. StudyOutcome
▪ Understood modern concept of library design with
respect to fuction, climate and contemporary forms.
▪ Relate to changes in library design from international
perspective.
▪ Understood how a single space can contribute to
magnificient fuction of different types of spaces.
▪ Understood modern use of materials with respect to
climate.

52. StudyOutcome
▪ Planning is done in the manner that there is abundant
natural light present in the library, which allows the
reader to fully enjoy the reading time.
▪ The change of material for the heritage libray i.e.
Marble and stainless steel for the rest of the library
reflects the architects vision of progression of past to
present.
▪ The library is itself the transformation of Qatari culture
to the modern Qatar and their change with the time
which emphasizes one of the highly develop nation of
modern times.

53. THANKINGYOU