Dubai’s Museum of the Future has opened its doors to the public after nine years of design and construction. Designed by local studio Killa Design, the museum describes itself as a “living laboratory” showcasing exhibitions around the themes of science and technology.
Museum of the Future, a video tour of the exterior and interior
Resting on a green plateau, the building’s distinctive parametrically-designed form is inspired by the human eye, which the team describes as representing knowledge and future vision. “The museum is the eye that sees tomorrow,” the team says. “The void in the heart of the structure represents the unknown that we seek to discover, as it is the future that we will reach.”
The 77-meter-tall (252-foot-tall) building is clad with 1,024 stainless steel composite panels adorned with Arabic calligraphy. The inclusion of 1,024 panels was a conscious decision by the design team, who consider each panel to represent one kilobyte. In digital computing, one kilobyte is equal to 1,024 bytes, or 1,024 characters.
The façade is illuminated by 14,000 meters (46,000 feet) of programmable LED lighting highlighting the calligraphy inscribed across the 17,600-square-meter (190,000-square-foot) surface. The calligraphy is comprised of three quotes by the Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who has described the museum as “the most beautiful building in the world.”
When translated, the three quotes read: “We may not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone;” “The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it. It isn’t something you await but rather create;” and “Innovation is not an intellectual luxury. It is a secret behind the evolution and rejuvenation of nations and people.”
Inside, the museum contains seven floors with no internal pillars. Facilities within the museum include a 1,000-seat hall, 345-seat lecture theater, and five floors of gallery spaces. The visitor experience includes interactions with virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and machine learning; with specific exhibits including space exploration, and a digital simulation of the Amazon rainforest.
The opening of the museum comes months after Expo 2020 Dubai opened to the public, featuring UAE and Qatar pavilions by Santiago Calatrava, and a UK pavilion by Es Devlin. The region also recently played host to one of the first mosques in the country ever designed by a female architect, with the unveiling of the Al Quoz spiritual center by Dabbagh Architects.
6 Comments
Killa design? how apt of a name considering the construction and labour practices in the region.
The amount of wasted space in this thing is a sight to behold.
whatever.
It's The Marble Arch Mound by MVDRV, but with a "fascinator" hat stuck on top. What a waste of money and resources.
earings in the museum shop also...?
cosmic egg: the calligraphy of architecture and space of peace.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.