Almost 7 years after local architectural firm, Killa Design, won the design competition for it in 2015, access to the Museum of the Future is now officially extended to the public following its grand opening on the 22nd of February, 2022.
Nicknamed “the most beautiful building on earth”, the uniqueness of the museum easily makes it a must-see attraction when in Dubai. From the building itself – the elliptical structure shuns pillars in favour of 1024, 4-layered steel plates that help to keep it erect, while the Arabic inscriptions on it, which double as skylights, are memorable quotes from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – to its exhibition spaces and other attractions packed into it, there is something of interest at the Museum of the Future for just about everybody.
Beyond the uniqueness of its shape is a very profound meaning. According to the architect, the solid part of the structure represents the knowledge that we have today. The void represents all that we do not yet know – in other words, the future. Which is exactly what the museum is all about.
For example, there are entire floors dedicated to climate change, as well as outer space and the future of healthcare and wellness. The museum will also address the effect of global warming on critical ecosystems and how these might be repaired. It will look at how solar energy collection in space and asteroid mining could be used for the benefit of humanity, and will even touch upon the subject of spirituality.
As part of its design, it was determined that the Museum of the Future will be a truly sustainable project. The building is powered by 4,000 megawatts of solar energy in collaboration with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority while the surrounding park contains 80 species of plants and is equipped with automatic irrigation and greywater recycling systems. Charging ports have been made available for visitors with electric vehicles, but parking spaces are limited to encourage the use of public transport, as a 212-metre-long bridge links the area to Emirates Towers metro station.
All these sustainable solutions have earned it the Platinum Certification for Leadership in Environmental Energy and Design (LEED), the highest rating for green buildings in the world.
Visitors can also expect to be introduced to a wide range of technologies including augmented reality and virtual reality, that will be used to project them into the future to create an immersive theatre experience. “This is not the museum where you will see objects in cases with labels next to them,” explains Lath Carlson, executive director of the Museum of the Future. “In a lot of the main galleries, there will be no labels at all. It will be a completely immersive experience that engages the visitor as a really important contributor to the experience, rather than as a viewer of someone else’s work.”
He hopes to offer an optimistic view of the future as a counterpoint to what he considers as a generally bleak outlook presented by the entertainment industry. “We want to show how people might creatively respond to the challenges, while at the same time being realistic about the challenges that are coming,” he says.
Tickets to the Museum of the Future are currently sold out, but you can check availability, as well as other relevant information on its website here.
