Dubai: Dubai Museum of the Future has been listed by National Geographic as one of the 14 most beautiful museums in the world for its astounding architecture and sophisticated technological innovations.
The museum, an architectural marvel that sits at the bustling heart of Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road, is set to become a new global landmark once complete.
Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and vice-chairman of the board of trustees and managing director of the Dubai Future Foundation, said the selection of the Dubai Museum of the Future as a major world icon, even before its completion, captures the UAE’s leading status in innovation, design and architecture.
Engineering miracle
Spanning an area of 30,000 square metres, the seven-storey pillar-less structure stands 77m tall. The stainless-steel façade, which extends over 17,000 square metres, is illuminated by 14,000m of Arabic calligraphy designed by the Emirati artist Mattar Bin Lahej.
The museum is also linked by two bridges, the first extending to Jumeirah Emirates Towers, with a length of 69m, and the second linking it to the Emirates Towers metro station, with a length of 212m.
Adorned with quotes
The Arabic calligraphy that adorns the façade includes quotes by Sheikh Mohammad. Among the quotes are “We may not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone” and “The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it… The future does not wait… The future can be designed and built today”.
Built by robots
The façade consists of 1,024 plates manufactured entirely by robots in a first-of-its-kind venture in the Middle East. Each plate of the façade consists of four layers, and each layer has been created after following 16 process steps. The installation period of the external facade lasted for more than 18 months, and each of the panels installed separately.
Incubator for future ideas
Contrary to the concept of conventional museums, the Dubai Museum of the Future is distinguished by being an incubator for innovative ideas, technology, and future projects. Equipped with immersive technologies, big data, artificial intelligence and robotics, the museum will showcase the future of mankind, cities, societies, life on Earth and even in outer space.
