01 April 2015

Plans for a $500-million museum dedicated to the future, where significant elements are due to be 3D printed, were unveiled last month in Dubai.

The plan was launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. In line with its name, the Museum of the Future’s structure will incorporate cutting-edge technology with elements of the project set to be built using 3D printing construction techniques. According to the UAE-based newspaper Khaleej Times, the museum’s cladding, which will include Sheikh Mohammed’s poems describing his vision of the future, will be one of the sections to be 3D printed.

Set to open in 2017, the ring-shaped museum has been designed by architect Shaun Killa, who recently left Atkins Dubai to set up his own practice, Killa Partnership. Describing the building’s design to Al Arabiya News, Killa said: “The solid element of the building symbolises what we know today representing what we know to be the future, and the void represents what we don’t know. So we constantly are looking towards the future and discovering new possibilities.”

The game plan is to change all the content of the museum every six months, ensuring that they are always looking 10 years into the future, he added.

As well as a permanent gallery showcasing the greatest global innovations, the museum will host a group of innovation labs focusing on health, education, smart cities, energy and transport.

The building is also intended to host scientific conferences and offer advanced courses and specialised workshops on design and innovation. Rather than just displaying exhibits or publishing reports, the new institution will use design, technology, prototyping and foresight to create real examples of change. More than just a place to learn and imagine the future, some of the world’s brightest minds will be within the facility inventing and working on applications that could take humanity to new wonderful places, Al Arabiya said.

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