ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño (APD) has revealed details on its recent work at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi to convert it into “a visitor experience that showcases the UAE’s historical and cultural heritage”.
APD was commissioned to carry out the technical development and museographic implementation inside the Qasr Al Watan, meaning ‘Palace of the Nation’, building.
Qasr Al Watan has three areas that are accessible to the public: the Visitor Centre; Qasr Al Watan Visitor Experience, produced by APD and other major partners and entities; and the Qasr Al Watan Library.
APD’s work covered a total area of 12,000sqm, including Al Watan’s main halls for visitors, three of which have a “museographic approach”.
The work comprised construction of four large 6m cubes located in the main hall of the building, said APD, “which offer different visions of the hall from their inside, as well as the graphic elements installation work, the audiovisual equipment, installation of the display cases and arrangement of the pieces of the collection.”
According to the firm, the exhibition provides visitors a range variety of historical documents, artifacts and rare manuscripts that highlight the Arab world’s contributions to various intellectual fields including science, arts, humanities and literature, as well as presidential gifts, among others.
“ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño has also installed a raised platform for visitors to improve accessibility to Qasr Al Watan, as well as to ensure its preservation,” said APD.
APD added it was faced with the challenge of making every element removable or mobile, including the six-metre cubes, for which APD created an “air flotation” system in order to move them without damaging the Palace’s marble floor.
“APD used staging technology for the removable platforms, supplying lightweight aluminium structures that can be assembled and disassembled by hand, without the need for tools,” revealed the firm.
The company also created modular and removable designs for the other elements such as the display cases, structures for the projectors and the platforms, as well as the design of the storage cases in which all of the pieces will be stored.