“The most beautiful building on Earth.”
By AARON CHOW
February 22, 2022
Dubai’s Museum of the Future has officially opened its doors to the public.
The state-of-the-art museum located in Dubai’s Financial District is the brainchild of Dubai Future Foundation and architecture firm Killa Design led by Shaun Killa. Dubbed “the most beautiful building in the world” by Dubai ruler and UAE vice president Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the unique seven-story structure stands 77m high without the use of a single supporting column.
The glimmering toroidal-shaped building is made up of 1,024 stainless steel panels manufactured by a specialized robot-assisted process, displaying lines of Arabic calligraphy quoting His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum that translate to:
“We may not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone. The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it. It isn’t something you await, but rather create. Innovation is not an intellectual luxury. It is the secret behind the evolution and rejuvenation of nations and peoples.”
The structure is powered through its own dedicated solar park and inside rests an all-purpose hall surrounded by lecture halls, innovation labs, permanent exhibition spaces, and dedicated spaces for children. Its circular form is said to represent humanity, the green mound it rests on represents earth, and the void in the middle represents an unknown future.
Instead of reflecting on the past like most museums in existence, the space looks to bring visitors on a journey through possible futures to “bring hope and knowledge back to the present.”
“The Museum of the Future is a ‘living museum,’ constantly adapting and metamorphosing as its very environment drives continual and iterative change to its exhibits and attractions,” said Mohammed Al Gergawi, chairman of the Dubai Future Foundation. “The museum brings together futurists, thinkers, innovators, and the public in a testbed of ideas that define the world of the future and shape the way we interact with our world to come.”
Take a look at the images above, and the opening ceremony below. More information can be found on the Museum of the Future website.
