The National Library of Kosovo has landed at the top of the list for ugliest buildings in the world by publications like VirtualTourist, which I find highly unfair. Since its completion in 1982, the library has served as an important cultural institution in the nation… and one that has been reviled by many.
The construction has almost 100 white dome tops of varying sizes. They cap small rooms, which are covered in veil-like metallic fishing net. The goal was to blend elements of Kosovo’s Byzantine, Islamic, and Balkan heritage—but opinions differ strongly from there about why the building looks like it does and what the architect (a Croat named Anrija Mtnjakovic) intended to communicate.
By popular opinion, it looks cool and brings to mind other buildings with exoskeleton-like exteriors, such as Zaha Hadid’s Morpheus Hotel.
