I have talked before about the exciting developments planned at Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, we spent some time looking at the plans when we were in Abu Dhabi in February this year. Whilst Saadiyat Island is intended to be the largest single mixed-use development in the Gulf a great deal of emphasis is currently being placed on the cultural nature of the development; five buildings (Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim, Jean Nouvel’s Louvre, Zaha Hadid’s Performing Arts Centre, Tadao Ando’s Maritime Museum and Norman Foster’s Zayed National Museum) will transform Saadiyat Island into “an irresistible magnet attracting the world to Abu Dhabi, and taking Abu Dhabi to the world”. But it is the Zayed National Museum, perched on elevated ground in a central position, that will take centre stage. And the design of the building has finally been revealed.
Five gleaming steel towers will rise grandly from a beautifully landscaped man-made oasis, climbing into the sky hundreds of metres above the Gulf.
Below, in the heart of the cavern-like ground floor, visitors to the Zayed National Museum will enter a public lobby dug into the side of a hill and illuminated from above. Suspended hanging pods will house the five main exhibition areas in an environment coloured to resemble the sands of Saadiyat Island.
Outside, sculpted gardens and a promenade will welcome guests who come to visit the 66,000-square-metre facility. Outdoor installations and gardens, all created to seamlessly fit in with the surrounding natural environment, set the stage for a uniquely UAE experience.
While the museum’s design is meant to represent the feathers of a falcon’s wing, solar panelling and heat exchangers imitate the natural functions of the bird’s wing, said Lord Foster, the building’s architect.
From The National newspaper
I think it looks amazing, I can’t wait to see it become reality.
More info on The National’s website: