A National Monument OMA

Category Architectural

Architect OMA

Location Qatar

A modern monument to ancient Arab-Islamic civilization, the Qatar National Library is a testament to innovative stone technology applied on an epic scale. The public library houses over a million books as well as 42,000m2 reading space – a beacon for satellite campuses from leading universities and institutions around the world. Designed by Rem Koolhaas’ OMA, the space is swathed in endless travertine to give a sense of gravitas and grounding to the gargantuan endeavour.

Materials

Abraham Travertine

Architects

OMA - Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon

Photographer(s)

Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti, Hans Werlemann, Iwan Baan

The completeness of SolidNature’s service, the beauty (and exciting strangeness of the material) inspired us to consider using natural stone in new ways”

Rem Koolhaas, OMA

ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT TECHNOLOGY

Giving the illusion of a solid block of stone, SolidNature utilises a ‘honeycomb’ technique traditionally used on super-yachts. A thin layer of naturally heavy materials, such as marble, onyx, travertine or semi-precious stones, is applied to a lightweight honeycomb backing and edges are finished to complete the effect.

EXPERT SERVICE ON A MONUMENTAL SCALE

Rising to the challenge of this project, each individual tile was laid down and dry-fit for the client, architect and contractor to approve – in total around 2,000 individual tiles were approved pre-build, leading to a 0% rejection on-site.

MAKING OF BLOCK COMING TO LIFE

A fastidious attention to detail, proprietary technology, expert knowhow and creative problem solving were invaluable when conceiving a project of this calibre. Every possible outcome was considered to ensure a seamless client experience.