The Museum of the Future seeks to outline the future of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates through key industries, including potential opportunities in the fields of science, technology, development, and humanitarianism.
In order to hold and promote thorough discussions on potential future trends in various industries, it seeks to establish a network of partnerships with significant scientific and research organisations. The museum will bring together industry professionals to offer regular conferences and seminars and to explain significant scientific advancements.
The vision of Dubai Museum of the Future
The Dubai Museum of the Future used cutting-edge big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and virtual and augmented reality technologies. It also comprises research labs for many fields, such as health, energy, and transportation, and labs for coming up with fresh concepts, particularly for pressing social problems.
Parametric design reflects Museum’s mission
The main principles behind the museum’s design are metaphor and art: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Dubai, created the museum’s concept. It is meant to serve as a breeding ground for creativity and inventiveness. It is not a normal museum in the sense of a collection of relics but rather a hub for creative thought, including design studios and innovation centres. The design, a stunning fusion of art, engineering, and construction, was crucial and symbolised the Dubai Future Foundation’s objective.
Feng Shui inspired architecture
The shape was first inspired by a building’s architecture, which at first glance appeared futuristic but included Feng Shui principles. As a result, it was designed in the ground-breaking style of the building. A round shape in Feng Shui symbolises the past, present, and future, the earth’s bountiful fields and the sky’s infinite imagination. According to Killa, the void in the middle of the building symbolises the unknown because “people who seek what we don’t know are the inventors and discoverers for the future.” The building would evolve over the course of the next five or perhaps, 10 years with exhibits of the future of education, healthcare, smart cities, transportation, government services, and more.
Arabic calligraphy on exterior
The Arabic calligraphy written on the exterior of Dubai Museum of the Future, which incorporates comments from the prime minister regarding the future, is a manifestation of art and poetry. These “inscriptions,” however, are finely crafted windows that dynamically combine aesthetics and functionality.
Through immersive exhibitions, visitors to the Dubai Museum of the Future will be taken to the far-off year 2071. They can examine how climate change might affect the earth in these exhibitions and the envisioned future of moon colonies, while other exhibits will concentrate on how the health and wellness industry might evolve in the future. Younger visitors will be challenged to become future thinkers through open play on a floor specifically created for them.
The 77-meter-tall structure is the world’s most streamlined since it lacks exterior structure and sharp corners. A “parametric design” model, a 3D technique based on cutting-edge technical design, was used to build the museum. 1,024 panels make up the building’s façade, which is 17,600 square metres. For the first time in the area, autonomous robotic arms were used to construct the façade panels. The façade is covered with motivational Arabic calligraphy and has 14,000 metres of light lines to illuminate it.
Using BIM to visualize the future
Killa collaborated closely with BuroHappold for engineering services and BAM International for construction, using 4D sequencing in BIM (Building Information Modeling) and reality capture for visualisation to assure constructability and achieve LEED Platinum accreditation.
In the 28-month project schedule, they were able to test weights and constraints from the BuroHappold design models, using the models to produce data and the 4D sequencing. They carried that over into the development phase, using the models, keeping them updated daily, and feeding them with data we would eventually send over as an output model.
Recording by Autodesk Revit
The entire process was developed and recorded in Autodesk Revit once the team entered the concept design phase and continued through to construction drawings and beyond. The team could resolve numerous possible issues with the structural, facade, and MEP (mechanical, engineering, and plumbing) systems by designing with 3D models.
The business decided to run Revit exclusively throughout the procedure. Any 2D drawings that resided outside of that context had no place here. They co-located the entire team within the office to ensure effective communication. Many decisions need to be made where you need to be near each other when developing a three-dimensional building in every way and only have horizontal levels.
Use of Modern Softwares
Such a futuristic design would have previously run into difficulties as soon as it was presented to the engineers or contractors. The group could now use software to develop virtual visualisations that let team members “walk through” the entire Dubai Museum of the Future and examine each component. A 2D calligraphy phrase overlayed on a model would deform the word when applied to a 3D surface. Thus it was necessary to find every potential conflict in the intricate facade, where the 3D calligraphy windows had to line up perfectly with the building’s distinctive structure.
Complex building design pushes architects and engineers to new levels
During the construction of any extremely complicated structure, the architect and engineers must collaborate. Through more than 50 sustainable design choices, including using recycled-content goods, photovoltaics for energy, and internal-air recovery systems, the team was also able to achieve LEED Platinum through this collaborative process.
The impressive exterior of the museum is made up of 1,240 unique stainless-steel and fibreglass-fused panels that were manufactured utilising techniques taken from the aviation sector. It is a smooth, joint-free assemblage. Furthermore, it performs all the essential functions that a typical building envelope is intended to perform. It is not only an attractive design. Rain screens are usually found on structures with intricate surfaces. The structure underneath the surface is formed by a waterproofing system.
Additionally, a rain screen would be the exterior facade, which may be more intricate. This makes things simpler since building these incredibly three-dimensional structures allows for a little more latitude. But in this building, the envelope handles the waterproofing, airtightness, construction, and lighting. The interior of the Dubai Museum of the Future brought difficulties. A freestanding, double-helix staircase needed some intricate Revit modification to create a model that made sense. DNA provided the inspiration for the stairway.
The double helix
Architect Tommaso Calistri of Killa Design adds that the double helix also has a useful purpose: The arrangement makes it possible to distinguish between those who have paid the entry charge and those who have not, such as those who wish to drop by to admire the building, thanks to staircases landing at various locations. You will travel through and experience the building.
Thus it is unquestionably an emotional structure, he claimed. You won’t just walk by that without looking. Despite its futuristic design, architects have a long history of pushing the boundaries of engineering. However, the fundamental approach to building the environments that people live in is experiencing a revival thanks to contemporary materials and technologies. Dubai is able to create highly intricate shapes that were maybe 20 or 30 years ago, even impossible to build. We can genuinely develop a new understanding of architecture thanks to BIM and other applications available today
