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Dubai Skyline Welcomes the New Museum of the Future.docx

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Dr. Ehsan Bayat
Dr. Ehsan Bayat

The Museum of the Future in Dubai has an innovative torus-shaped structure that looks like an eye watching over the city. Its design was made possible through advanced 4D modeling and collaboration between architects and engineers. They worked to identify issues, ensure feasibility, and push design limits, resulting in a sustainable platinum-rated building. Its futuristic yet storytelling design combines inspiring art with practical functions like using Arabic calligraphy to mask windows.

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Dubai Skyline Welcomes the New Museum of the Future Dubai has no shortage of tourist attractions, and the number continues to grow. Earlier this year, the city unveiled its most striking new architectural wonder, the Museum of the Future. What makes this structure so interesting is that it is not your typical skyscraper. Instead, the building has an entirely new take on how to create functional structures within a bustling city. The museum is not particularly tall or expansive but is instead notable for its complicated structure making it a true feat of engineering and construction. The structure itself takes the form of a torus, a silver oval with an open center that looks like an eye keeping watch on the city. How Technology Can Inform Futuristic Construction Not long ago, creating a structure like that of the Museum of the Future would have been considered impossible. The designers behind this vision wanted to ensure feasibility and thus worked closely with engineers and construction professionals while using cutting-edge four-dimensional sequencing and building information modeling (BIM). Design models provided by engineers made it possible to verify weights and other details that could be plugged into four-dimensional models to produce data that was used to prove the feasibility of the project. These models and the subsequent data were as important as money in terms of proceeding with construction. Furthermore, the models proved important during construction, as updates were plugged into them to make sure everything was on track. Creating a design using three-dimensional models that could be continuously updated also helped the team identify potential conflicts and fix them before they became issues. These conflicts related to anything from the facade to plumbing systems. The entire team actually sat in one room during the design process so that they could collaborate on problems in real time and ensure that no decisions made would be problematic from a different perspective. With the three-dimensional modeling, it was possible to take a virtual walk through the structure to ensure that nothing went overlooked that might become a potential issue down the line. Every detail could be examined closely, which is the only way that such an incredible structure would be possible to construct. A New Model for Collaboration Between Engineers and Architects While creating a complex structure, architects and engineers need to work closely to figure out how to proceed. With close collaboration, incredible feats can be achieved. In the case of the Museum of the Future, the close collaboration between architects and engineers led to securing LEED Platinum status for the building. This was accomplished by making dozens of decisions with sustainability in mind. For example, the team used products made from recycled content as often as possible and installed photovoltaic cells to help harness energy from the sun for the building. In addition, architects and
engineers created an internal-air recovery system that helps reduce reliance on air conditioning and other processes that consume a considerable amount of energy. Some of the achievements of collaboration are more aesthetic in nature. The exterior of the museum is a perfectly smooth facade that was actually created with the joint-free assembly of 1,240 separate panels made of stainless steel and fiberglass. The team used methods developed in the aviation industry to create such a facade. Moreover, the exterior of the building was designed to accomplish a number of tasks, from waterproofing and keeping the building airtight to providing adequate lighting without requiring the use of electronic lighting. The team pushed design and material to its limits, which will undoubtedly influence the future development of buildings in Dubai and beyond. Embracing Function While Creating Inspirational Art Another factor that distinguishes the Museum of the Future is the combination of form and function. The design of the building itself is meant to be futuristic to embrace the spirit of the museum. Indeed, the final design is truly revolutionary. However, the shape also embraces the limitlessness of the future through a shape that has no beginning or end. Furthermore, the hole in the middle of the building represents the unknown component of the future that keeps everything moving forward and excited about what is to come. In other words, the building itself inspires awe, but it tells a story in doing so. The conflation of form and function also reaches the smaller details of the structure. The smooth surface of the building is characterized by large, dark inscriptions in Arabic calligraphy. While these inscriptions add a sense of wonder to the entire structure, they actually help mask windows that let light into the structure. Onlookers see only large writing that seems almost mystical in how it is applied to this large structure without realizing the very practical purpose it serves, especially in terms of helping the building earn its LEED platinum rating. Inside, form and function are again combined as visitors move up spiraling staircases meant to resemble DNA.

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Dubai Skyline Welcomes the New Museum of the Future.docx

  • 1. Dubai Skyline Welcomes the New Museum of the Future Dubai has no shortage of tourist attractions, and the number continues to grow. Earlier this year, the city unveiled its most striking new architectural wonder, the Museum of the Future. What makes this structure so interesting is that it is not your typical skyscraper. Instead, the building has an entirely new take on how to create functional structures within a bustling city. The museum is not particularly tall or expansive but is instead notable for its complicated structure making it a true feat of engineering and construction. The structure itself takes the form of a torus, a silver oval with an open center that looks like an eye keeping watch on the city. How Technology Can Inform Futuristic Construction Not long ago, creating a structure like that of the Museum of the Future would have been considered impossible. The designers behind this vision wanted to ensure feasibility and thus worked closely with engineers and construction professionals while using cutting-edge four-dimensional sequencing and building information modeling (BIM). Design models provided by engineers made it possible to verify weights and other details that could be plugged into four-dimensional models to produce data that was used to prove the feasibility of the project. These models and the subsequent data were as important as money in terms of proceeding with construction. Furthermore, the models proved important during construction, as updates were plugged into them to make sure everything was on track. Creating a design using three-dimensional models that could be continuously updated also helped the team identify potential conflicts and fix them before they became issues. These conflicts related to anything from the facade to plumbing systems. The entire team actually sat in one room during the design process so that they could collaborate on problems in real time and ensure that no decisions made would be problematic from a different perspective. With the three-dimensional modeling, it was possible to take a virtual walk through the structure to ensure that nothing went overlooked that might become a potential issue down the line. Every detail could be examined closely, which is the only way that such an incredible structure would be possible to construct. A New Model for Collaboration Between Engineers and Architects While creating a complex structure, architects and engineers need to work closely to figure out how to proceed. With close collaboration, incredible feats can be achieved. In the case of the Museum of the Future, the close collaboration between architects and engineers led to securing LEED Platinum status for the building. This was accomplished by making dozens of decisions with sustainability in mind. For example, the team used products made from recycled content as often as possible and installed photovoltaic cells to help harness energy from the sun for the building. In addition, architects and
  • 2. engineers created an internal-air recovery system that helps reduce reliance on air conditioning and other processes that consume a considerable amount of energy. Some of the achievements of collaboration are more aesthetic in nature. The exterior of the museum is a perfectly smooth facade that was actually created with the joint-free assembly of 1,240 separate panels made of stainless steel and fiberglass. The team used methods developed in the aviation industry to create such a facade. Moreover, the exterior of the building was designed to accomplish a number of tasks, from waterproofing and keeping the building airtight to providing adequate lighting without requiring the use of electronic lighting. The team pushed design and material to its limits, which will undoubtedly influence the future development of buildings in Dubai and beyond. Embracing Function While Creating Inspirational Art Another factor that distinguishes the Museum of the Future is the combination of form and function. The design of the building itself is meant to be futuristic to embrace the spirit of the museum. Indeed, the final design is truly revolutionary. However, the shape also embraces the limitlessness of the future through a shape that has no beginning or end. Furthermore, the hole in the middle of the building represents the unknown component of the future that keeps everything moving forward and excited about what is to come. In other words, the building itself inspires awe, but it tells a story in doing so. The conflation of form and function also reaches the smaller details of the structure. The smooth surface of the building is characterized by large, dark inscriptions in Arabic calligraphy. While these inscriptions add a sense of wonder to the entire structure, they actually help mask windows that let light into the structure. Onlookers see only large writing that seems almost mystical in how it is applied to this large structure without realizing the very practical purpose it serves, especially in terms of helping the building earn its LEED platinum rating. Inside, form and function are again combined as visitors move up spiraling staircases meant to resemble DNA.