Already known as ‘The most beautiful building in the world’, the Museum of the Future was unveiled last week in Dubai.
When the idea of the museum was first being put on paper, many questioned its location and the purpose of such a building in a bustling metropolitan area.
With two bridges linking the architectural masterpiece to Emirates Towers and the metro station, the Museum of the Future is perfectly positioned in the heart of a cosmopolitan centre, near the Emirates Towers and the Dubai International Financial Center. It is also located next to the very busy Sheikh Zayed Road, the longest road in the UAE.
The seven-story building stands at 77 meters tall and spans an area of over 30,500 meters. The building’s design and shape are very symbolic in nature. The unique oval shape of the museum is meant to represent humanity. The earth is represented by the green mound below, while the vacuum in the middle depicts the unknown future.
The exterior is covered with beautiful Arabic calligraphy and acts as a window for those in the building. It comprises precisely 1,024 steel plates, which symbolizes the number of bytes in a kilobyte. The Arabic writing quotes Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. According to him, innovation isn’t just an intellectual luxury but a secret for the development and renewal of the nation.
Due to its unique design, the establishment uses no columns and uses a steel framework consisting of intersecting beams.
The museum is built for the Dubai Future Foundation, an initiative set up in 2016 to shape the future of Dubai’s economy. Dubbed the ‘living museum’ by Mohammed Al Gergawi, chairman of the Dubai Future Foundation, each floor is dedicated to a different experience.
The building’s interior serves as a blend of different exhibitions, with each floor serving distinct ventures. Three of the building’s floors are dedicated to immersive displays on topics such as health and wellness, ecosystems and bioengineering, and space resource development.
For example, on level five lies the OSS or Orbital Space Station. It is a NASA approved design of a space station. It features a fascinating space shuttle simulation, which includes a countdown, genuine shuttle sounds, movement and video snippets of futuristic Dubai that you can watch through the shuttle’s windows as one.
The other levels include near-future technology that solves health, water, food, transportation, and energy issues, with the last floor dedicated solely to children.
The gallery aims to be a place for people to express their commitment to a more sustainable future and a home for a lively imagination. The museum, which represents the UAE vice president’s vision, aims to empower people to help shape humanity’s progress.
The Museum of the Future is a stunning piece of modern architecture. It has achieved LEED Platinum status as well, which is a rating given to those designs which are highly energy-efficient.
Currently, if you want to visit the museum, it will cost AED 145 per person. It is free for those below the age of three. Many have booked the museum well in advance, and tickets are selling out fast. At the time of publishing, tickets are sold out until March 12.
