Liwan Design Studios and Labs

Who We Are

Located in the heart of Msheireb Downtown, Doha’s ambitious new design district, Liwan is housed in an imaginatively repurposed historic building that was the first officially recognized school for girls in Qatar, founded by education pioneer Amna Mahmoud Al Jaida. The original school, named Banat El Doha, opened in the late 1950s, and over the years it was renamed Umm Almo'mneen Primary School.

Led by multidisciplinary Qatari designer Aisha Bint Nasser Al Sowaidi as its Director, Liwan provides the designers who join as members, with state-of-the-art labs for pottery, leatherworking, digital photography and prototyping, as well as private and shared studios, giving them the resources needed to advance their work.

What We Offer

Liwan offers a robust schedule of public programmes through the Liwania series, to raise awareness of local and global design thinking and practices. Programming includes heritage tours about the history of the building and featured events such as talks, workshops, dinners, exhibitions, film screenings and networking opportunities.

Liwan houses a collection of roughly 850 archived children’s books and objects from the former school in the Liwan Archival Library. On display are old children's storybooks showcasing some of the best late 20th-century typography, illustration and design from the Arab world—including iconic illustrations and designs by Helmy El Touny and Burhan Karkoutly. The archive is home to the work of a generation that directly inspired so much of the contemporary art and design culture in the Arab world. The library will be open to the public, as well as to members, and will host monthly panel discussions called Kotob Zaman.

Al Journal by Liwan is an online collection of essays, articles, book and exhibition reviews and visuals, exploring contemporary design themes across the Middle East and internationally. It features pioneering Qatari creatives and connects local and global design voices, encouraging collaboration and commentary on cultural and intellectual design matters. Special guest-edited issues will focus on semi-annual themes on topics such as design during pandemics and sports and design. If you would like to be involved in Al Journal by Liwan, get in touch with us through liwanjournal@qm.org.qa.