ARCHELLO YOUR CONNECTION WITH ARCHITECTURE

Jean Nouvel recently revealed his design for the National Museum of Qatar. The complex consists of a series of stacked and interlocking pavilions. According to the awarding authority, these pavilions resemble a desert rose.

The architect calls it “a modern-day caravansarai. From here you leave the desert behind, returning with treasured images that remain engraved on your memory.” The museum will be the second modern building in Qatar to house the emirate’s culture, after the Museum of Islamic Art.

The complex will be built around an ancient palace which once housed Qatar’s first museum. The pavilions are made up of disk-like forms, which will be placed at various angles. These disks then become the floors, walls and ceilings of the pavilions. They protect the interior from the deserts sun.

The interior also consists of interlocking disks. Light enters the building through minuscule windows, while glass façades offer a view of the surroundings. The 40,000m² park surrounding the museum will be an interpretation of a regional landscape and will include sand dunes and indigenous plants.

The National Museum of Qatar provides around 8,000m² of permanent gallery space and almost 2,000m² for temporary exhibits. The building will also feature an auditorium, a TV studio, two cafes, a restaurant and a shop. Special facilities are provided for staff members and visiting school groups.

So far, no construction or completion dates have been announced.