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Inside The New Architecturally Impressive National Museum Of Qatar

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This month saw the newly completed National Museum of Qatar begin welcoming visitors into its architecturally impressive exhibition space, shops and dining venues. Complementing the breath-taking exterior design of French architect Jean Nouvel, it was Koichi Takada Architects who executed the design of its interiors after winning a global competition to take the project on in 2012.

Oscar Rialubin

Built on 1.5 million sq ft at the south end of Doha’s Corniche, the new museum boasts a prominent position in the city with dramatic architecture inspired by the unique mineral formation, desert rose. Koichi Takada designed the interiors to respect and complement this distinct structure, curating his ‘desert-scapes’ concept to create a local cultural experience for visitors and provide a narrative of Qatari history.

“The architecture is a representation of the desert rose mineral formation; a connection to nature,” says Takada. “Each interior space offers a fragment of the Qatari history that aims to enhance and fulfill both a cultural and memorable experience for museum visitors.”

Koichi Takada Architects

Through conversations with Qatari people, Takada developed this story in visual design, expressing aspects of local history, from the beginnings of trade to nomadic lifestyle and the natural environment.

“Talking to H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa and to the Qatar Museums Authority has opened my eyes to a culturally rich way of life, which has inspired me,” he explains. “They passionately talked about the iconic nature of Dahl Al Misfir, located in the heart of Qatar, and introduced me to the ritual of majlis floor dining, a bit like my favorite childhood memory of Japanese tatami floor dining. Designing the interiors of the National Museum of Qatar was an opportunity to create a unique experience for visitors to immerse in Qatar’s cultural heritage, the traditional and historical past, and its development into a modern state as the cultural hub of the Middle East.”

Koichi Takada Architects

Reflecting the inspiration Takada took, the interiors of the museum shops represent the Dahl Al Misfir (Cave of Light), an underground sanctuary formed by fibrous gypsum crystals. Using 3D modeling software, Koichi Takada Architects created a mesmerizing design of 40,000 hand-assembled wooden pieces.

For the interiors of Café 875, the design firm then took inspiration from Qatari gold jewelry, with four medallions casting rings of light on the ceiling. And for Desert Rose Café, which opens out onto the lagoon and Caravanserai courtyard, the firm referenced Jean Nouvel’s grand architecture at a human scale with ambient floor lighting intended to mimic dusk light in the desert.

Koichi Takada Architects

With its position on the fourth floor, Jiwan Restaurant comes with panoramic views over Doha Bay and a design embodying Qatar’s unique landscape where the sea meets the desert. In this way, Qatari Bedouin heritage is fused with the region’s traditions of fishing, pearl diving and sailing wooden dhows. You can dine in one of the dining pods of the panoramic terrace or inside where more than four million pearl-like crystal beads are suspended from the ceiling.

Oscar Rialubin

Reflecting on the architectural and interior design of this new cultural venue, Takada concludes: “The National Museum of Qatar will be the next ‘Bilbao Effect’ and Jean Nouvel’s masterful design is a seeker of architectural magic. The museums desert rose inspired space is a mirage within which visitors will lose a sense of time wandering between the past and future. The National Museum of Qatar will give a voice to Qatar’s cultural heritage whilst celebrating its future identity.”