Foster + Partners have unveiled designs for a museum on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. It has been designed by UK-based architectural firm Foster + Partners, combining contemporary architecture with traditional Arabic design, and inspired by the flight and feathers of a falcon. Each ‘feather’ features a gallery space with exhibits about the history and culture of the UAE, and outside the building will be landscaped gardens surrounded by water. Inspired by the dynamic of flight and the feathers of a falcon, the design reflects Sheikh Zayed’s love of falconry and creates an iconic symbol for the nation. Cutting-edge design, materials and construction methods are combined to create a spectacular addition to the Saadiyat Island skyline. Each steel feather, the tallest of which rises 125 metres, will contain a gallery space where visitors can explore the history and culture of the UAE.
The Museum has been under construction since Fall of 2010, and is planned to be completed by 2014.
The galleries will be placed at the bases of five solar thermal towers. The towers heat up and act as thermal chimneys to draw cooling air currents naturally through the museum. Fresh air is captured at low level and drawn through buried ground-cooling pipes and then released into the museum’s lobby. The heat at the top of the towers works to draw the air up vertically through the galleries due to the thermal stack effect. Air vents open at the top of the wing-shaped towers taking advantage of the negative pressure on the lee of the wing profile to draw the hot air out.
Lord Foster said: “It has been a great privilege to work on the Zayed National Museum, to carry forward Sheikh Zayed’s vision and to communicate the dynamic character of a contemporary United Arab Emirates. We have sought to establish a building that will be an exemplar of sustainable design, resonating with Sheikh Zayed’s love of nature and his wider heritage.”
