Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi
Design Concept
The concept for the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi is rooted in the meeting of water and earth, recognising this ever-changing boundary as a place of origin, movement, and transformation.
Rather than designing a singular architectural object, the museum is conceived as a landscape shaped by natural forces, where architecture and terrain become inseparable. Inspired by the geological formations and wadis of the region, the building emerges from the landscape as a series of sculpted volumes shaped by time, allowing the experience of natural history to begin before visitors enter the museum itself.
Pentagonal patterns, derived from the cellular structures found in nature, establish a strong relationship between building and landscape. This geometry creates cohesion across the project while expressing the museum’s ambition to reveal the underlying systems and patterns that shape the natural world, from microscopic organisms to geological formations.
Three public pathways flow through the landscape, connecting the waterfront with the surrounding cultural institutions of Saadiyat Island. Open to everyone without a ticket, these routes transform the museum into an extension of the public realm, where architecture, landscape, and everyday urban life intersect. Visitors are invited to wander, pause, observe, and engage with the museum’s narratives through terraces, shaded passages, and public spaces before entering the galleries.
“Our goal was to explore the relationship between the museum and the city, between architecture and landscape, integrating the experience of the museum with the experience of living in the city,” explains Nuno Fontarra, Architect and Partner at Mecanoo.
This ambition defines the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi as more than a building containing knowledge. It becomes an extension of the public realm, where the boundaries between the museum, the landscape, and urban life are dissolved.
Arrival Sequence
The interior experience begins with the entrance lobby, conceived as a monumental central space that introduces visitors to the scale and ambition of the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi. The lobby is not simply a point of arrival, but a dramatic threshold between the city, the landscape, and the world of natural history contained within.
Its monumental character provides a powerful backdrop for the display of the museum’s large-scale specimens, including dinosaurs, creating an immediate sense of wonder and discovery.
The space appears as if it has been subtracted from within the exterior geometry of the building, as a void carved into the massive landscape-like form. Deep skylights penetrate the architectural volume, capturing and directing natural light down into the interior, creating a controlled connection between the exterior landscape and the museum experience.
The interplay of shadow, daylight, and the textured surfaces of the space reinforces the feeling of being inside a geological formation, where architecture becomes a continuation of the natural processes that inspire the building.
In this way, the entrance lobby becomes more than a circulation space. It acts as the symbolic heart of the museum, establishing the relationship between architecture and nature from the moment of arrival and preparing visitors for a journey of exploration where the building itself becomes part of the story of the Earth.
Museum Experience
The exhibition unfolds as a journey through the history of the natural world, telling the story of our planet from the origins of the universe and the Big Bang to the challenges facing humanity today and in the future, including the growing climate change crisis.
Rather than presenting knowledge as a collection of isolated displays, the museum creates a continuous narrative that allows visitors to understand the evolution of life, the forces that shaped the Earth, and the delicate balance of ecosystems.
Organised around a central courtyard, the exhibition sequence offers visitors both a guided chronological journey and the freedom to create their own paths of discovery. The spatial organisation accommodates different modes of exploration, where visitors can follow the storyline of natural history from beginning to end or move between galleries according to their own interests and curiosity.
The largest gallery establishes this experience through a powerful moment of arrival and surprise, echoing the monumental character of the entrance lobby. This vast gallery creates a dramatic encounter with some of the rarest dinosaur specimens ever discovered, creating an immediate connection between visitors and the deep history of life on Earth.
Shared Knowledge
The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi reflects a broader ambition for the role of the modern museum: to open its doors, move beyond the traditional institutional image associated with cultural buildings, and become an active part of everyday city life.
Rather than functioning as an isolated monument dedicated to preservation, the museum is conceived as an accessible public space that connects the community, scientific knowledge, and professionals working at the forefront of research.
In this sense, the museum becomes a bridge between society and science, creating opportunities for dialogue, learning, and exchange. Its role extends beyond communicating knowledge; it is a platform where knowledge is shared, questioned, and continuously expanded.
The history of scientific discovery has always been driven by collaboration and the exchange of ideas, and today science operates as a global network built on the collective contribution of researchers and communities around the world.
Materiality and Sustainability
Sustainability is embedded in the design from the earliest stages, drawing inspiration from the principles of vernacular architecture found across the region. Thick building masses, carefully controlled openings, and shaded outdoor spaces inform a passive design strategy that responds to Abu Dhabi’s climate while reducing heat gain.
The building’s substantial mass provides natural thermal insulation, contributing to a comfortable interior environment with reduced energy demand. Material choices further support the project’s environmental ambitions.
The primary structure combines concrete and steel, while the façades are predominantly constructed from ultra-high-performance concrete, UHPC, manufactured locally, reducing transport-related emissions.
Landscape also plays an important environmental role. Interior planters and surrounding greenery create additional thermal buffers that help mitigate solar heat gain, while sustainable irrigation systems minimise water consumption and support a resilient planting strategy adapted to the local climate.
Collaborative Design
Designed by Mecanoo in collaboration with EGIS, Broadway Malyan, Pascal+Watson, and WAHO, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi is a new cultural and scientific destination on Saadiyat Island.
Owned and operated by DCT, the Department of Culture and Tourism, and developed by Miral, Abu Dhabi’s leading experience and entertainment developer, the museum contributes to Abu Dhabi’s ambition to position itself as a global centre for art, culture, and science. It forms part of Saadiyat Cultural District alongside Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum, the Abrahamic Family House, and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
With a total area of 35,000 m², the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi is the largest natural history museum in the Middle East. It is designed for both a broad public and the scientific community, combining exhibition spaces, educational facilities, and research-oriented programmes within one accessible public institution.
CREDITS
Design Team: Mecanoo, Egis Group, Broadway Malyan, Pascall+Watson, Waho Landscape Architects, Plan A Consultants, EllisDon.
Developer: Miral
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