Miral and DCT Abu Dhabi confirm that work on landmark Abu Dhabi Natural History Museum project will be completed by 2025
Iconic project will be a scientific research and teaching institution, and an educational resource for learning
Miral, the Abu Dhabi-based creator of destinations and experiences, has announced that work is moving at a steady pace on the National History Museum development, which is coming up within the emirate’s Saadiyat Cultural District, and that the project is on track for completion in 2025.
A statement said that the National History Museum was conceived and developed via a partnership between Miral and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi). Once complete, it will be a scientific research and teaching institution, and an educational resource for learning about the evolving story of Earth, with some of the rarest wonders of natural history ever found on display.
DCT Abu Dhabi Chairman Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak said: “Natural history has a new home in Abu Dhabi. A new museum which tells the story of our universe through some of the most incredible natural wonders known to mankind. These are awe-inspiring gifts from nature that we are proud to share with the world – unlocking millions of years of knowledge to not only advance scientific discovery but to inspire our children to protect our planet’s future.”
“As we nurture a new generation of global advocates that are incredibly curious and passionate about natural history, we are fulfilling our vision to enrich lives and make Abu Dhabi the place for research, research, collaboration and discovery,” he added.
The museum will join the diverse cultural institutions and museums in the Saadiyat Cultural District, which include Louvre Abu Dhabi and the upcoming Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, as part of Abu Dhabi’s strategy to position the emirate as a centre for culture, arts and creativity.
With a focus on immersive displays, curated collections with exceptional specimens, and innovative, interactive mediations, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi galleries will take visitors on a journey back to the very beginning of time, narrating the evolution of our universe, the Earth’s formation, and the history of life on our planet – as well as providing a glimpse into our possible future, the statement continued.
Visitors will travel on a 13.8-billion-year journey through time and space, which will include a thought-provoking perspective into a sustainable future for planet Earth. The new museum is currently under construction and is due to be completed at the end of 2025.
A highlight of the new museum’s collection will be the world-famous ‘Stan’, a remarkable 39-ft-long Tyrannosaurus rex, which is one of the best preserved and most studied fossils of the iconic predator from the Late Cretaceous Period.
The fossil will be joined by a Murchison Meteorite specimen, which famously crash-landed in Australia more than 40 years ago and has since revealed new information to scientists about the early solar system.
Containing a huge range of organic ‘stardust’ compounds as well as pre-solar grains which formed over 7 billion years ago – long before our current solar system existed – the meteorite provides ancient insight into the very building blocks of life, the statement added.
Covering an area of more than 35,000 sq m, the Museum has been designed by lead architects Mecanoo to resonate with natural rock formations, reflecting the museum’s goal of improving understanding of and engagement with the natural world.
Each element of the design uses geometry as an overriding theme, with pentagonal shapes resembling cellular structures. Also playing an important role in the design are water and vegetation, potent symbols of life in the desert, the statement added.
In addition to the gallery display areas, the museum will include temporary exhibition spaces for special events and theatre facilities. Enabling and marine works have commenced on the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi construction site, DCT said.
In addition to global natural history, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will for the first time present the history of life on Earth through an Arabian lens, where local natural assets of fauna, flora and the geological history of the region will be part of the visitor journey, it concluded.
