Jean Nouvel-designed National Museum of Qatar is beginning to take shape, as revealed in the latest images of the construction site in Doha. Inspired by the desert rose, the museum’s fluid, contemporary architectural form will sit in dialogue with the historical objects it will house, noted ArchDaily.The structure made of glass, steel, and fiber concrete recalls the “blade-like petal of the desert rose, a mineral formation of crystallized sand found in the briny layer just beneath the desert’s surface,” says Jean Nouvel.The museum is coming up around the former Emir of Qatar Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani’s original palace, a famous landmark in Doha. The museum will “give a voice to Qatar’s heritage whilst celebrating its future,” as stated in a press release by Qatar Museums.When complete, the 21,000-square-meter museum space will house permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, a 220-seat auditorium, a heritage research center, a 70-seat forum, conservation laboratories, collection stores and offices, along with cafes, restaurant, and a boutique.“It will spark an awareness that could only otherwise be encountered, experienced, after months spent in the desert, in pursuit of the particularities that elude our grasp except when the whims of Time and Nature allow… from there you leave for the desert and you return from it bringing back treasures: images that remain forever engraved on your memory,” as quoted from a statement released by Ateliers Jean NouvelThe museum’s design seeks to “redefine the role of cultural institutions” by immersing the visitors in both the desert and sea, creating an impactful setting for the nomadic artifacts that will be on display. http://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin
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