Dubai Museum of the Future: a showcase for the technological innovations of tomorrow

One of a kind, the Museum of the Future is the new architectural and cultural icon of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) megalopolis. Located right next to the Emirates Towers on the main Sheikh Zayed Road, it was inaugurated on the palindrome date of 22/02/2022 in the presence of the Emir of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, originally of this pharaonic project. A veritable marvel of engineering imagined by the South African architect Shaun Killa, the museum aims to be the new world temple of technological innovation. Through various interactive exhibitions, it presents futuristic concepts likely to transform and improve the society of tomorrow by providing technological solutions to remedy the ravages of climate change.

The place is also an incubator comprising laboratories, conference rooms and experimental spaces where scientists, academics, entrepreneurs and other experts from around the world can confront and test their ideas. The Dubai Future Foundation, on which the museum depends, promises to offer real opportunities to develop futuristic technological solutions in the fields of environment, health, education, smart cities, energy and climate. transport.

Events around futuristic thinking will also be organized there throughout the year. “The museum brings together futurists, thinkers, innovators and the public to experiment with ideas that define the world of the future. We believe that the next 50 years will be marked by as many new challenges and new opportunities, as many changes as the last 500 years, and even more. It is the global center where the world can share visions for this coming change”said Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs of the United Arab Emirates and Chairman of the Dubai Future Foundation.

Architectural feat

With its convex shape and stainless steel facade covered with quotes in Arabic calligraphy, the superstructure has the appearance of a spaceship, a subtle blend of contemporary engineering feats and age-old traditional art representing the past, present and the future of humanity. Created by artist Mattar Bin Lahej, the Arabic calligraphy, which lights up once night falls, transcribes various quotes from the ruler of Dubai on the theme of the future. For example : “We may not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone.” Considered to be one of the most complex buildings ever built, the Museum of the Future alone bears witness to the potential of new technologies in the field of construction.

Even before laying the first stones, the Killa Design studio headed by Shaun Killa had to innovate by creating new algorithmic design processes in engineering, as well as 3D printed models of the museum instead of traditional models. Essential technologies to solve the enormous load and design constraints of a torus-shaped building defying all the laws of physics and including no straight lines, apart from those of the floors. With a height of 77 m, the toroidal structure, which houses an area of ​​30,000 m² spread over seven floors, was built without any supporting columns. Designed in fiberglass and stainless steel, the surface of the building consists of 1024 different composite panels, entirely manufactured by robots. Their assembly using automated arms took 18 months.

Beyond the technological and architectural prowess, the Museum of the Future presents itself as a model of energy-efficient design. It is indeed one of the very few buildings in the Middle East to have obtained “LEED Platinum” certification — the highest distinction in terms of sustainable development for a public building. Powered by a solar panel park located nearby on the roof of a car park, it features many materials with recycled content — including the 3D-printed white interior facades — as well as passive solar and harvesting systems of water and air. Another distinction, and not the least, the Museum of the Future was elected as one of the 14 most beautiful museums in the world by the National Geographic.

Reinventing the museum visit

Even before its opening, the Museum of the Future has established itself as one of the main icons of the city of Dubai, alongside the Burj Al Arab — the hotel in the shape of a giant sail built on an artificial island — and the imposing Burj Khalifa tower culminating at 821 m, which remains to this day the highest in the world. The elegance and originality of the interior architecture perfectly echo that of the exterior of the building. An immaculate all-round universe with an impressive free-standing double helix staircase, inspired by the shape of DNA, and glass elevators reminiscent of bubbles floating in the air. From this spectacular decor emerges a striking atmosphere, both spiritual and futuristic. The tone is set, but everything remains to be discovered…

The Museum of the Future wants to be a living museum, whose exhibition areas will be constantly transformed. The immersive exhibits are spread over three of the building’s seven floors. These areas have been set up like movie sets on which visitors are invited to play their own role, explore and interact with different technologies through a series of futuristic immersive experiences.

Space exploration: welcome to 2071

The visit kicks off with a bang with the experimental “OSS Hope” exhibition, dedicated to the research being developed for the exploitation of space resources. Visitors therefore embark on a journey into space in 2071 – a date that will mark the centenary of the Emirates. They take place in a space elevator which virtually rises above Dubai and the Earth before entering space and joining a huge space station. Perched at an altitude of 600 km, it houses various rooms giving an overview of life on board, as well as exploration missions and other experiments that future space pioneers could carry out there.

Prototypes of machines, including a huge ring of photovoltaic panels that revolves around the Moon to capture solar energy in order to send it to Earth, illustrate the optimistic futuristic vision that the museum wants to convey. Before returning to Earth, visitors can apply for future job vacancies offered by the orbital station’s recruitment center via dedicated screens and artificial intelligence. A very concrete way of projecting oneself in fifty years.

Environment, health and well-being in the digital age

Another floor, another theme with the “Heal Institute” which focuses on ecosystems and bioengineering. Visitors are invited to enter a simulator of the ecosystem of a real Amazon rainforest located in Leticia, Colombia. Very realistic, it shows the incredible diversity and fragility of living organisms in a tropical nature that has been in decline for several decades. “The aim is to help visitors better understand nature and their responsibility towards it in the face of environmental change”explains Brendan McGetrick, creative director of the Museum of the Future.

The experience continues with the discovery of a spectacular room where the phosphorescent holograms of 2400 living species are stored. A small mobile scanner makes it possible to obtain the genetic code and all the information on each conserved species. Tomorrow’s scientists will be able to conduct experiments, reintroduce extinct species or cross them with other species while seeing whether this has a negative or positive impact on the environment.

Far from any digital screen and other new technologies, nascent or futuristic, the last visit is devoted to meditation and the well-being of individuals. The museum has two other levels, including one dedicated to children and another to temporary exhibitions related to new technologies. The opportunity to discover drones, a remote-controlled parcel delivery system, autonomous cars, a driverless school minibus, a bicycle without spokes or even different types of robots already well publicized such as a bionic hand, a robot -dog, a robot-hawk, a robot-spider, etc.

A visit, or rather an astonishing journey that shows a future that may be less bleak than it seems, provided that some of the technologies presented in the museum actually come to work one day. Through this initiative, the Emirate, which is one of the most polluting states in the world, is clearly trying to redeem an ecological conscience…