The much-anticipated opening of the Museum of the Future in Dubai is scheduled for 22 February 2022.
With dynamic and striking architecture by Killa Design, the Museum of the Future has for some time been a landmark for the country that’s not had an official launch date until now.
That changed when the announcement was made by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Thursday (3 February) through his personal Twitter account. In an official tweet, Sheikh Mohammed hailed the striking structure as the “most beautiful building on earth.”
Since its inception, the museum has been in the news for its striking architecture and unique aesthetics. It was named one of the 14 most beautiful museums on the planet in a list compiled by National Geographic magazine in 2021. Its stunning architecture was praised for its combination of design and technology.
The museum’s futuristic design
The museum spans over 30,000 square metres with seven storeys and consists of three main parts – the green hill, the building and the void. Its stainless-steel façade, which extends over 17,000 square metres, consists of 1,024 plates manufactured entirely by robots in a first-of-its-kind venture in the Middle East. 14,000 metres of the stunning structure is etched with Arabic calligraphy designed by Emirati artist Mattar bin Lahej and spells out some of Sheikh Mohammed’s most memorable quotes.
Two bridges link to the museum. The first extends to Jumeirah Emirates Towers, with a length of 69m, while the second – 212m – links it to the Emirates Towers metro station.
Greener elements of the Museum of the Future
The Museum of the Future is a model for sustainability in creative design. It will be powered by 4,000 megawatts of solar energy produced by a station connected to the building, in collaboration with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).
A park surrounding the museum contains 80 species of plants and is equipped with a state of the art intelligent and automatic irrigation system.
Killa Design
Speaking to our sister title Commercial Interior Design in October 2020, architect Shuan Killa described how his eponymous studio won the coveted contract for the Museum of the Future.
“Just before the set up [of Killa Design], I was invited to submit [an entry] for the Museum of the Future, and about 20 different consultants had [already] done so. But not having many resources, apart from myself and a few other people, made it challenging. However, we submitted two options – one that was between Emirates Towers and Dubai International Financial Centre, and the one that is now becoming the Museum of the Future.”
Approximately four weeks later, Emaar and Eagle Hills spoke to Killa about designing Address Jumeirah Gate. “We literally had about two weeks to [deliver], and soon after that, we learnt that we had won the Museum of the Future – and, a few weeks after that, we heard that we had won the Address Jumeirah Gate.”