Zayed National Museum is Being Built in Honour of UAE’s Founding Ruler

Foster + Partners has unveiled their designs for Zayed National Museum, a monument and a memorial to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding president of the UAE. Set to be completed in 2025, the museum will be located in Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, and is set to be the first museum completed for the island.

Set within a landscaped garden - a choice that was based on the life of Sheikh Zayed to celebrate his love of nature - the design of the museum will blend both highly efficient contemporary lightweight steel structures with elements of traditional Arabic design to conceive a museum that is sustainable, while narrating the rich history of the land and region.

“It has been a great privilege to work on the Zayed National Museum, to carry forward Sheikh Zayed’s vision and to communicate the dynamic character of a contemporary United Arab Emirates,” Norman Foster, founder of Foster + Partners, tells SceneHome.

The designers' commitment to sustainability is evident through various strategies, one of which is the placement of galleries at the bases of five solar thermal towers. These towers function as thermal chimneys, naturally drawing cooling air currents through the museum.

The museum will include a variety of performance spaces and a large auditorium lined with Emirati textiles. The lobby, which is dug into the earth, incorporates more informal venues for poetry readings, music and dance, and more. 

Photography Credit: Foster + Partners