Museum of the Future, Dubai

Designed by Killa Design, with fit-out by Al Tayer Stocks, this museum is situated in the Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Museum of the Future is the first museum of its kind. Built to transform the very perception of the future as one knows it, the unique structure has become home to several immersive future environments that aim to position visitors in an empowering version of the future.

Standing 77 metres tall, the avant-garde façade is made of stainless steel and glass, consisting of 1,024 separate panels, each one specially created by robots and algorithms. The number of panels has its own significance. It represents a basic unit of the digital information storage system of computers, which is a kilobyte, and each kilobyte is equal to 1,024 bytes. The Arabic script windows cast light into the interior by day and at night illuminate the city’s iconic skyline with 14 kilometres of energy-saving, resource-efficient LED lights.

Windows allowing natural light to flood into the seven-storey structure are designed in the form of calligraphy intricately 3D-mapped onto the building’s curved body. Written on the exterior are the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai. Featuring three extracts from His Highness’ quotes, one particularly fitting in the context of this architectural masterpiece, the building reads “The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it and execute it. It isn’t something you await, but rather create.”

The futuristic building represents humankind in all its strength, creativity and unmatched ability to exist within its surroundings. The elliptical void represents the unknown; a statement of all that which nobody yet know – in a word, the future. Its Arabic calligraphy-wrapped façade displays Emirati passion for the arts, culture, discovery and the endless pursuit of knowledge, innovation and progress.