New details emerged about Dubai’s Museum of the Future on Monday as the structure hit a construction milestone and entered the final phase of its robot-assisted build.
At the weekend, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, attended a ceremony to mark the start of the final phase of construction where he witnessed the installation of the final piece of the structure's facade.
The building's exterior is made up of 1,024 pieces that were manufactured by automated robotic arms and installed over the course of 18 months.
The building "speaks Arabic", Sheikh Mohammed said, and it combined "our authentic Arab culture and far-reaching ambitions".
Dubbed "the most intricate building in the world" by Autodesk, an architecture and design software company, the Dh500-million museum's outer shell extends over more than 17,000 square metres and is covered in Arabic calligraphy illuminated by solar-powered LED bulbs at night.
The calligraphy on the facade, designed by Emirati artist Mattar Bin Lahej, features quotes from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid including, "We may not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone."
As well as, "The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it … The future does not wait … The future can be designed and built today."
While traditional museums display artefacts and masterpieces from eras of the past, this museum will be an incubator for ideas and future projects with the aim of becoming a global attraction for inventors, entrepreneurs, and the general public to better understand what the future may hold.
The space will be used to enable the public and experts to learn about future technology that will change people's lives, including virtual and augmented reality, big data analysis, artificial intelligence and human-machine interaction.
These encounters with future technology will include immersive experiences for visitors answering several pressing questions related to the future of humanity, cities, human societies and life on planet Earth.
The museum is linked to the city by two bridges, the first extending to Jumeirah Emirates Towers, with a length of 69m, and the second connecting it to Emirates Towers metro station, with a length of 212m.
It is powered by 4,000 megawatts of electricity produced through solar energy by a new station connected to the museum.
The station was built in collaboration with Dubai Electricity & Water Authority, making the museum, once finished, the first in the Middle East to obtain a Platinum certification from LEED – the highest rating for green buildings in the world.
Surrounding the museum is a park containing 80 species of plants and equipped with an intelligent and automatic irrigation system.
The museum’s engineering infrastructure was developed in co-operation between BAM International, the main contractor, and Buro Happold Engineering Consultants, which designed the engineering structure.
