Construction of stunning, 5-storey Lusail Museum to start this year

Inside, a crescent-shaped “boulevard” will guide visitors through the museum.

NT Bureau

Doha:
The skyline of the shiny new city of Lusail will receive an eye-catching addition with a museum and arts hub that boasts a striking circular design, CNN has reported.

The construction of the museum will begin later this year.

The Lusail Museum will be 30 meters tall, spread over five levels. The five-storey building will have a footprint of 11,000 square meters on a site that’s more than 10 times that size and will include areas for art exhibitions and a “think tank” space for discussions on global issues, the report adds.

Much of the museum’s design is inspired by Muslim architecture and culture, as well as the surrounding environment, architect Jacques Herzog told CNN. 

He explains that the crescent shape was a key factor when designing the building. Inside, a crescent-shaped “boulevard” will guide visitors through the museum.

“It’s a piece of identity for some Muslim dynasties but also in a more pragmatic way, it’s a boulevard curve where you don’t see exactly where it ends. That’s a detail which is important for us,” says Herzog.

“Where you start and where you end is not really predetermined and it leaves room for imagination.”

The museum will be built on Al Maha Island, a piece of reclaimed land just off the coast.

The co-founder of Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron is no stranger to museum designs. 

The firm previously worked on the M+ Museum in Hong Kong and Pérez Art Museum in Miami, as well as Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics and the Tate Modern in London.

Herzog hopes this project will fit not only within Lusail’s skyline but the sand, rock and sea that will surround it. 

Last December, the location for the museum was marked with a ground-breaking ceremony. New renderings of the building have also been recently released. The structure will be made up of mostly local materials, not only referencing the idea of connecting the museum to the land that will surround it, but for environmental concerns too. 

“We want to do something for which you do not need to import everything. We want to make this building a contribution on the ecological level,” says Herzog. 

Described by Herzog as a “layered souq,” the museum aims to encapsulate the vibrancy and diversity of traditional Middle Eastern marketplaces within its structure. This concept aligns with the vision of creating a “city within a city,” according to the designer.

Herzog emphasises the museum’s role in attracting new audiences to art and fostering global discussions, setting it apart from other projects the firm has undertaken.