The Most Unique Libraries in The World

Qatar National Library

Doha, Qatar

Designed by Dutch firm OMA, this state-of-the-art public library in Doha features over a million books in its collection. With a surprisingly large collection, you can expect an equally large library, with 45,000-square-meters of area. Built as a monument to knowledge meant to bring the past and the present together, it features an underground area where the Heritage collection is on display.

Tianjin Binhai Library

Tianjin, China

It’s no surprise that this library went viral when its doors opened back in 2017. With an impressive atrium featuring shelves from the floor to the ceiling, this library quickly became a tourist attraction. It’s a standing proof that design is crucial when it comes to library attendance, especially because the top shelves, that are actually out of reach are actually aluminum plates printed with book images.

The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library

Chicago, USA

Mansueto library, part of Chicago University is almost like a library from a sci-fi movie. 3.5 million books stored in an underground facility tended by robotic cranes. The reading room itself, as pictured above, is covered by a glass dome. Since the books are stored away, the space feels very open and bright and is the perfect portrayal of the university’s Physics and Science departments’ devotion to innovation.

Stuttgart City Library

Stuttgart, Germany

This library is all about its building design. While the nine-story building may appear as a cube from the outside, at sunset the glass bricks take on a glow. Inside the interiors are all-white and feature a five-story reading room shaped like an upside-down pyramid. The building was designed to become the city’s cultural heart and features also a café and a rooftop terrace. The library also features a small space which is open all night long.

Seattle Public Library Central Library

Seattle, USA

Designed by architects Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus, the library has a very peculiar exterior. A futuristic glass façade and an even more unique book spiral. Filled with daylight and spaces to read or work, this library is definitely equipped to answer 21st-century demands – in both information and function and is definitely one of the most unique libraries in the world!