Proclaimed as the “most beautiful building in the world,” the Museum of the Future opened in triumphant style showcasing another iconic landmark in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that has been thrown open to the world after nine years of development.
The dazzling monument consists of a seven-storeyed circular building that stands at 77 meters and is spread across 30,000 square meters.
According to a press release, ‘The Museum will exhibit a permanent theme of inspiring visions for the future of humanity and a global centre for inspiration, innovation and the development of solutions to challenges and opportunities in human development.’
“The Museum of the Future is a ‘living museum’ constantly adapting and metamorphosing as its very environment drives continual and iterative changes to exhibits and attractions,” advised Mohammed Al Gergawi, UAE Minister for Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Dubai Future Foundation during the flamboyant opening ceremony on Tuesday.
Designed by architect Shaun Killa of Killa Design, the building is an amazing achievement of computer-aided design and engineering. Constructed from stainless steel, it consists of 1,024 pieces of art manufactured using robots uniquely capable of creating demanding shapes. The facade of the structure was built over an 18-month period of time and comprises a complex assembly of four-layer composite material panels which each required over 16 process steps.
The massive museum is lit up by 14,000 meters of light lines which trace Arabic calligraphy and represent three quotes on the future by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The museum is also environmentally friendly, fueled with 4,000 megawatt-hours per year of solar power which is generated by a solar park.
The museum can accommodate more than 1,000 people and has a special hall for workshops and interactive lectures for up to 345 people.
On average it takes between two to three hours to experience the museum and visitors are welcome to stay as long as they want.
The museum takes visitors on an exciting journey to the year 2071 and shows scenarios of what the future could hold in areas such as wellness, health, spirituality, ecosystems, outer space resource development and bioengineering.
A nature-themed exhibition depicts a mixed reality recreation of the Amazon rainforest. Visitors are able to explore the interaction of hundreds of species and see details that are invisible to the naked eye.
The “New Moon” exhibition shows how the Moon could be transformed into a source of renewable energy that could benefit the whole planet.
The “immersive experience” shows what it might look like inside a space station situated 600 kilometres above the Earth.
“The Centre” exhibition enables visitors to experience restorative effects of meditation, water and movement by immersing in vibrations that can rebalance their electromagnetic fields.
Entry to the museum costs Dh145, with children under the age of 3 being free.