An immense desert rose, 'precious and unique, random yet precise'. These are the words with which the French architect Jean Nouvelwinner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize, describes his latest work: the National Museum of Qatar.
The museum is located on an important site within a recently developed civic district, linking it to other important cultural institutions, including the Museum of Islamic Art in Ieoh Ming Pei.
A decade to see the light, the Qatar National Museum is designed to tell the story of this country and its ambitions for the future.
"A 21st century museum that allows you to experience the exhibitions in three dimensions", as the architect stated at the opening, "a destination for people of all the world that reflects the contemporary spirit of Qatar".
The shape of the building is inspired, as mentioned, by the desert rose. A steel frame spanning an insulated waterproof superstructure supports the interlocking discs, which are clad in a glass-fibre reinforced concrete with a sandy hue evoking the desert landscape. "No one knows what the inside looks like". The museum resembles the desert rose in its architecture: a typology of intersections has been created inside that makes you wonder what is inside; it is a succession of rooms almost hidden one from the other. The further you go, the more you understand its structural complexity, but also its initial concept, the narrative. At the heart of it all is the need to feel proud of one's origins.
The visitor's itinerary tells the story of Qatar, from the earliest period when humans first inhabited the peninsula, to the present day. Poetic images on the walls then complement the other exhibits and are accompanied by a soundscape that immerses the visitor in a variety of settings. The journey through the museum is completed by galleries telling the modern history of Qatar, including the country's transformation due to the discoveries of oil and gas during the latter part of the 20th century.
