Copyright © 1976-2018 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved

CLIEN T Dubai Future Foundation

ARCHI T EC T Killa Design

SERV ICES PROV IDED BY BURO HAPPO LD Structural engineering, façade engineering, building services engineering (MEP), civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, mobility, bridges, people flow modelling, fire and life safety, specialist lighting, sustainability, acoustics, waste and logistics

See the future, create the future. This phrase articulates the driving force behind every element of the Museum of the Future and represents our client’s aspiration to create the most beautiful, complex, and challenging exhibition venue in the world.

Occupying a prime location adjacent to the Emirates Towers, the Museum of the Future will be an expressive and dynamic landmark. The building symbolises both future progress and the regional design influence of Dubai with its use of modern materials, and Arabic poetry written by HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which is represented in 3D on the facade surface. The quotations express his vision for the future of Dubai. The museum is not intended to be a repository for ancient artefacts (as the name might suggest) but an incubator of ideas, a catalyst for innovation, and a global destination for inventors and entrepreneurs.

This is reflected in its unusual design. Sitting atop a landscaped three-storey podium, the gleaming torus-shaped

building features a series of intricate windows which carry the 3D Arabic calligraphy.

Translating the design’s artistic and metaphorical concepts into a 30,000m² (approx.) building clad in stainless steel was always going to be a challenge. But add to that the museum’s unique shape, the client’s desire to attain LEED Platinum status, and the team’s determination to embrace BIM at every stage of design and construction, then clearly, the building’s centre void is not the only aspect of this project that represents a step into the unknown.

As an engineering practice with over 40 years’ experience of building some of the world’s boldest and most daring structures, BuroHappold Engineering was perfectly positioned to translate ‘green sky thinking’ into buildable solutions. And nowhere is this more apparent than in our pioneering use of technology to realise the museum’s superstructure and facade.

MUSEUM OF THE FUTURE DUBAI, UAE

Image © Killa Design

T H E L E A D I N G E D G E O F I N N O V AT I V E D E S I G N

Copyright © 1976-2018 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved

Image © Killa Design

Our specialist engineers developed bespoke in-house parametric design software to model and analyse numerous options for the structure of the main museum building. This enabled us to develop a complex diagrid framework capable of mapping the torus shape and supporting the 890 stainless-steel-clad glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) panels that form the seamless silvery facade.

The BIM environment proved invaluable in our work towards the LEED Platinum accreditation stipulated by our client. The BuroHappold team created a 3D energy model where all 12 disciplines could interact in real time, agreeing more than 50 sustainable design decisions. This resulted in a range of tangible benefits including a 45% reduction in water use and total energy savings of 25%.

As well as enabling the design team to execute the project with unrivalled precision, virtual collaboration fostered a shift in the working culture. Instead of relying on less-than-optimal linear delivery where designs are produced sequentially, a parallel approach enabled us to accommodate more detailed decisions.

Design and construction teams were able to discuss and resolve issues better, ensuring that the project was buildable, and keeping construction and costings under control. Any variable ambiguities caused by errors and omissions were quickly appraised, and the true values recognised. In addition, we were able to invite client and stakeholders into our virtual environment to demonstrate the success of our collaboration, discussing things in a well-informed manner - and in real time, too.

Deviating from convention in both style and substance, the Museum of the Future is an incredible feat of design, engineering, and construction. It represents a radical alternative to the traditional skyscraper form, and challenges conventional attitudes to designing the spaces we inhabit. On this occasion, technology and human creativity are in total harmony, affording us a glimpse of a style of immersive design where real and virtual worlds combine to create something entirely new.

CLIEN T Dubai Future Foundation

ARCHI T EC T Killa Design

SERV ICES PROV IDED BY BURO HAPPO LD Structural engineering, façade engineering, building services engineering (MEP), civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, mobility, bridges, people flow modelling, fire and life safety, specialist lighting, sustainability, acoustics, waste and logistics