US$434m museum opens in Qatar with more than 1,500m of gallery space
POSTED 26 Mar 2019 . BY Luke Cloherty
Credit: Courtesy of Jean Nouvel
This is a total object: an experience that is at once architectural, spatial, and sensory, with spaces inside that exist nowhere else. – Jean Nouvel
Cultural space developments in the Gulf region continue apace with the opening of a new US$434m (€383m, £328.7m) museum in Doha, Qatar.
The new National Museum of Qatar comes as other Gulf states have made huge strides in opening cultural institutions recently. Earlier this month, Iraq’s Basra Museum opened three new galleries at its premises at former dictator Saddam Hussein’s palace and, last year, the Saudi government announced that it will invest SAR50bn (US$13.3bn, €11.2bn, £9.9bn) into lifestyle destinations.
The museum, which is built in the shape of a desert rose, opened to the public on 21 March and held a huge fanfare ceremony the day before, with Qatar's ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe in attendance.
The 52,000sq m (569,000sq ft) structure is located on Doha's waterfront and its entrance sits behind 114 fountain sculptures in a 900m long lagoon. The museum's roof, meanwhile, is made up of 76,000 shapes and resembles a giant jigsaw puzzle.
Inside, 1,500m of gallery space feature a 19th-century carpet, which is embroidered with 1.5 million Gulf pearls, and the oldest Koran yet discovered in Qatar, which also dates back to that period.
Originally scheduled for 2016, the museum has been a decade-long project from concept to conclusion.
"On the basic level the museum represents Qatari identity which has really accelerated in the post-blockade environment," said Sigurd Neubauer, a Middle East analyst based in Washington DC.
"It's really not about the building, Qatar is trying to create an environment and national identity that provides a space towards independent thinking."
Sheikha Amna bint Abdulaziz bin Jassim al-Thani, the museum's director, added: "This is a museum that narrates the story of the people of Qatar."
The 52,000 sq m (559,723sq ft) structure is located on Doha's waterfront and its entrance sits behind 114 fountain sculptures in a 900-metre-long lagoon. Credit: Image by Iwan Baan
The museum's sand-coloured concrete harmonises with the desert environment. Credit: Image by Iwan Baan
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US$434m museum opens in Qatar with more than 1,500m of gallery space
POSTED 26 Mar 2019 . BY Luke Cloherty
Credit: Courtesy of Jean Nouvel
This is a total object: an experience that is at once architectural, spatial, and sensory, with spaces inside that exist nowhere else. – Jean Nouvel
Cultural space developments in the Gulf region continue apace with the opening of a new US$434m (€383m, £328.7m) museum in Doha, Qatar.
The new National Museum of Qatar comes as other Gulf states have made huge strides in opening cultural institutions recently. Earlier this month, Iraq’s Basra Museum opened three new galleries at its premises at former dictator Saddam Hussein’s palace and, last year, the Saudi government announced that it will invest SAR50bn (US$13.3bn, €11.2bn, £9.9bn) into lifestyle destinations.
The museum, which is built in the shape of a desert rose, opened to the public on 21 March and held a huge fanfare ceremony the day before, with Qatar's ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe in attendance.
The 52,000sq m (569,000sq ft) structure is located on Doha's waterfront and its entrance sits behind 114 fountain sculptures in a 900m long lagoon. The museum's roof, meanwhile, is made up of 76,000 shapes and resembles a giant jigsaw puzzle.
Inside, 1,500m of gallery space feature a 19th-century carpet, which is embroidered with 1.5 million Gulf pearls, and the oldest Koran yet discovered in Qatar, which also dates back to that period.
Originally scheduled for 2016, the museum has been a decade-long project from concept to conclusion.
"On the basic level the museum represents Qatari identity which has really accelerated in the post-blockade environment," said Sigurd Neubauer, a Middle East analyst based in Washington DC.
"It's really not about the building, Qatar is trying to create an environment and national identity that provides a space towards independent thinking."
Sheikha Amna bint Abdulaziz bin Jassim al-Thani, the museum's director, added: "This is a museum that narrates the story of the people of Qatar."
The 52,000 sq m (559,723sq ft) structure is located on Doha's waterfront and its entrance sits behind 114 fountain sculptures in a 900-metre-long lagoon. Credit: Image by Iwan Baan
The museum's sand-coloured concrete harmonises with the desert environment. Credit: Image by Iwan Baan
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HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
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muscle mass in people who are taking weight-loss medications.
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people stay active, independent and feeling good for longer. [more...]
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on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right
client in under 10 seconds. [more...]
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