Zayed National Museum

In 2008, Greenway Associates were appointed as the Quantity Surveyors for the exhibition design of the Zayed National Museum.

The Zayed National Museum will be the premier museum in the United Arab Emirates. It will tell the story of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918-2004), and provide a comprehensive overview of the natural and human history of the UAE. It celebrates the life and achievements of the founding father of the nation, encourages greater understanding of the history, culture and geography of the UAE.

Working closely with the exhibition designers Event Communications, architects Foster + Partners, and partners the British Museum, to tell the story of the Emirates, led by Sheikh Zayed, the founder and ruler of the UAE.

Daniel Reid was our team leader on this project.

THE BUILDING

Visitors will learn about changes to the environment over millions of years and the formation of resources that through time have influenced society, trade and economic development. They will explore evidence for people living in this area from 200,000 years ago until the present.

The building is distinguished by a cluster of five steel towers that soar into the sky – some as tall as 123 metres – that evoke the wings of the revered falcon.

The journey starts with the arrival of people to the emergence of the oasis to life today.

Two galleries on the ground floor represent the heart of the museum, which details the life of Sheikh Zayed, the UAE’s formation and the country’s rich natural resources.

Moving to the first floor, a set of four pod-shaped galleries suspended over the main atrium will take people on a trip through the history of modern-day UAE.

The base of the falcon towers will give a unique view of Saadiyat, while a garden connects the museum to the sea and other parts of the island.

THE EXHIBITION

Event’s scope included six thematic galleries and the Sheikh Zayed Library, as well as all the public spaces and, in collaboration with WATG landscape designers, the design and interpretation of the Timeline Garden.

The Zayed National Museum is a collections-led museum. It is estimated that on completion, the galleries will display in the region of 3,000 items. It will be through the use of this historically significant material that the museum stories are brought to life. A range of media and interpretative design techniques enable the personalities of the region and its people, as well as Sheikh Zayed himself, to come to the fore.

Event’s design solutions responded to the dramatic architecture of the gallery pods, using the verticality and physicality of the spaces to express ideas or help articulate the story. In every instance their design will shape the ways in which visitors engage with spaces and blur the point at which the architecture ends and the exhibition begins.

PROJECT UPDATES

This is a large-scale and complex project, with a demanding programme and multiple consultants working in parallel.

Construction of the Zayed National Museum is well under way, with the structure of the falcon towers taking shape beautifully!

It’s opening date is scheduled for 2025.