The Orchard

Hamad International Airport opened in Doha in 2014: its terminal, designed by the American practice HOK, was ceremonially opened on 30 April and began operating on 27 May that year. To keep pace with growing traffic, an expansion programme was carried out in two phases.

The first created a new central concourse, at the heart of which lies the Orchard, an indoor tropical garden opened in 2022, the year Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup. By April 2023 Condé Nast Traveler had included the garden in its annual Hot List of new travel experiences. The second phase, begun in January 2023, added Concourses D and E, which opened in March 2025 and raised the airport's capacity to more than 70 million passengers a year.

The Orchard has continued to evolve since opening: the airport has added koi carp and bronze sculptures, and hosts temporary programmes there, such as a recovery studio for transit passengers in autumn 2026.

The garden covers about 6,000 m² according to the airport (60,000 sq ft according to the Qatari press) at the centre of the central concourse. It sits beneath an 85-metre grid-shell roof that admits generous natural light while helping regulate the indoor temperature. Irrigation and climate-control systems keep conditions tropical all year round, despite the desert climate outside.

The central concourse is certified LEED Gold; the airport states that it is 30 per cent more energy-efficient and uses 55 per cent less water. A water feature anchors the composition, and large digital screens play animations inspired by nature and by Qatar. Shops, restaurants and lounges ring the garden, including Qatar Airways' Al Mourjan Business Lounge – The Garden.

The Orchard holds more than 300 trees and, depending on the airport document, 25,000 or 35,000 plants, shrubs and flowers sourced from sustainably managed forests in several parts of the world. The pool is home to water lilies, lotus and koi, while orchids add colour to the greenery. The garden also serves as a setting for art: bronze sculptures from the 'Wildlife Wonderscapes' series by the artist duo Gillie and Marc have been installed there. The airport itself presents the planting as a diverse collection of trees, plants and shrubs gathered from around the world.

The Orchard lies in the airport's central concourse, at Concourse C, within the area reserved for departing and transfer passengers, so it forms part of a journey through the airport rather than a destination in the city. An hour's layover is enough to walk around it, sit by the pool and look at the sculptures. Nearby are the Al Mourjan – The Garden lounge, a Louis Vuitton lounge created with chef Yannick Alléno and a Dior spa, along with many shops and restaurants.