Foster + Partners' Zayed National Museum revealed ahead of December opening

Photos of the much-anticipated Zayed National Museum by British studio Foster + Partners in Abu Dhabi have been released ahead of its planned opening.

Currently under construction as part of the Saadiyat Island cultural development, plans for the long-awaited museum were officially unveiled in 2010. Now nearing completion, the institution announced that it will open this December.

Named after UAE founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the museum will be dedicated to the history and culture of Abu Dhabi.

It is topped with five lightweight steel towers resembling birds’ wings that will act as thermal chimneys to draw cool air into the galleries below.

Contained within a multifaceted concrete structure, the museum will have six permanent galleries spread over two floors that will contain artefacts from the Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages found across the Emirate. There will also be a separate gallery for temporary exhibitions.

Originally, the museum was planned to be covered in a green roof, but the photos suggest this element has been removed.

“Architecturally, the aim has been to combine a highly efficient, contemporary form with elements of traditional Arabic design and hospitality to create a museum that is sustainable, welcoming and culturally of its place,” said Foster + Partners when the design was revealed.

“The galleries are housed within a mound, whose form is an abstraction of the topography of the Emirates.”

Zayed National Museum forms part of the Saadiyat Island development, which contains the Jean Nouvel-designed Louvre Abu Dhabi, which was completed in 2017 and the Abrahamic Family House interfaith complex by Adjaye Associates that opened in 2023.

Several other cultural buildings are set to be built in the development, including the long-awaited Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by Frank Gehry and a gallery for Japanese art collective TeamLab, which are both nearing completion.

Danish studio BIG is also designing a luxury housing block beside the Zayed National Museum.

The images are courtesy of Zayed National Museum.

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