The design of the passenger terminal complex at Qatar’s new airport celebrates form, surface and light while providing a highly efficient yet inspirational experience for travelers.

As the landmark home for Qatar Airways, the country’s national airline, the terminal has 41 unrestricted contact gates.

Through expressive architecture rooted in place, the iconic terminal creates a lasting impression on guests. While contemporary in design to mirror Qatar’s progressive growth, the airport pays homage to the nation’s rich cultural heritage and natural environment. The dramatic, curving building silhouette recalls ocean waves and sand dunes to project a powerful image as Qatar’s gateway to the world.

Departing passengers experience an undulating super roof in the light-filled departure hall. The steel-framed glass wall provides unobstructed views from the curbside arrival area through the ticketing hall, enabling passengers to easily find their destinations. The longer east and west facades have similar high-performance glass that controls solar heat gain and glare. Moving through an open immigration area, originating passengers join transfer passengers on the first floor under a vast central skylight that provides visual access to one of five concourses. The two large transfer hubs are linked by an automatic people mover.

Arriving passengers progress to the ground-floor baggage hall and exit to a triple-volume meeters and greeters hall with direct access to taxi pavilions and an intermodal transportation hub.

A vast wood ceiling in the longest concourse provides visual warmth that contrasts with the sleek metal and glass surfaces. In other concourses, vaulted metal ceilings mimic the undulating roof line. Glass envelops the spacious hold rooms, quiet rooms, passenger activity nodes and 17 airline lounges. Skylights and interconnecting glass ceiling “zippers” provide natural light and dramatic evening desert views.

A deliberate lack of ornamentation provides passengers with an intrinsic understanding of movement and spatial function within the terminal. The team selected materials for their longevity, sustainability and local significance. Graceful structural arches are left unadorned, and the vast floor surface is a combination of terrazzo in high-circulation areas and carpet in ancillary spaces.

South of the passenger terminal, a public mosque serves as the symbolic heart of the airport. Its domed prayer hall and slender minaret are visible from the entrance road. The structures are set within a stone-paved plaza dotted with fountain jets representing the purifying role of water.

Guest amenities include two hotels, ample duty free shopping, and a spa and health club. An extensive public art program features local and international artists’ work throughout the terminal.