The Museum of the Future, a new global centre for future thinking, technologies and innovation has launched in the Emirates.
The Museum, located in the city of Dubai, is a permanent exhibition of inspiring visions for the future of humanity and a global centre for inspiration, innovation and the development of solutions to challenges and opportunities in human development.
Developed by the Dubai Future Foundation, the Museum turns the traditional concept of a museum, as a static display of historical artefacts, on its head.
The Museum instead serves as a testbed for new concepts, ideas, visions and innovations that will transform our lives, improve society and benefit the world. It reflects the rapidly evolving intellectual environment in topics such as science, artificial intelligence, space exploration, climate adaptation, urban life and mobility, and will incorporate new thinking, the latest research findings and emerging capabilities in these areas.
“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, UAE Minister for Cabinet Affairs and 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.”
The Museum of the Future will contribute to creating a deep and extensive global intellectual movement dedicated to exploring and foreseeing future changes in the fields of innovation, science, economic and cultural development in the service of humanity. As a global centre for the development of futuristic thinking, it will connect thinkers, specialists and experts from all over the world by hosting ongoing forums, research and knowledge sessions throughout the year. The Museum will also disseminate knowledge and research and highlight the most important technological changes, new scientific discoveries and emerging trends.
Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, said: “With its unique focus on the future, 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.”
Designed by architect Shaun Killa of Killa Design, the building was conceived as an architectural and cultural icon, and is a remarkable feat of computer-aided design and engineering. Its parametric design, created through an algorithmic design process that supports complex geometries, and innovative use of Building Information Modelling (Bim), a three-dimensional model-based design technology, have resulted in a 77-metre high, seven-story toroidal structure that is implemented without using a single column.
The facade of the Museum extends over an area of 17,600 square metres. Made of stainless steel, consisting of 1024 pieces of art manufactured using robots uniquely able to create the demanding shapes, the façade alone was constructed over a period of 18 months, and comprises a complex assembly of four-layer composite material panels each requiring over 16 process steps. It is illuminated by 14,000 meters of light lines, tracing Arabic calligraphy representing three quotes on the future by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The 1024 panels were selected to represent a kilobyte, or 1024 characters.
The three quotations inscribed on the building in Arabic calligraphy are: “We may not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone” and “The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it. It isn’t something you await, but rather create” and “Innovation is not an intellectual luxury. It is the secret behind the evolution and rejuvenation of nations and peoples”
The Museum of the Future is fed with 4,000 megawatt-hours per year of solar power generated by a dedicated solar park and meets the highest global standards of sustainability.
At the core of the Museum is its multi-use hall, which can accommodate more than 1,000 people, as well as a a special hall for interactive lectures and workshops that can accommodate more than 345 people. The Museum also includes innovation laboratories for health, education, smart cities, energy and transportation, a permanent exhibition of future innovations and laboratories to generate and test ideas, especially in developmental areas related to the challenges facing society.
The Museum incorporates a platform for displaying and testing innovations from some of the the world’s leading technology and innovation leaders and entrepreneurs, a place for partnerships with major universities and international research institutes, advanced research courses on the latest findings in human sciences as well as specialized workshops.
