Dubai’s Museum of the Future officially opened its doors to the world yesterday with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurating the iconic landmark with a message of hope for humanity.

According to WAM, the official UAE news agency, the 77-metre-tall architectural marvel will “provide the largest platform in the region to study, envision and design the future”. A statement from WAM added that the museum is “a novel scientific and intellectual centre where the brightest talents in the fields of science, technology, research and innovation will converge to discover solutions to tomorrow’s world”.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed said: “The Museum of the Future is a message of hope ... a global scientific platform ... and an integrated institutional framework to shape a better future for all of us. It embodies the active human imagination and the Emirati will that continues to excel the world. The museum will be a forum for great minds, scientists, thinkers and experts from around the world.”

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Dubai Future Foundation, said it will be “an intellectual laboratory for cities of the future and governments of the future… it will play a key role in strengthening Dubai’s future position. The museum will provide a clear roadmap for Dubai’s vital sectors”.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, said that through this museum, Sheikh Mohammed “aims to institutionalise future foresight and explore its opportunities to enhance the nation’s competitiveness”.

“We seek to accelerate the transition towards a knowledge-based economy in the region and explore practical scientific solutions to the greatest challenges of our times, both today and tomorrow,” he added.

The opening ceremony featured several videos highlighting the concept of the Museum of the Future and the vision of Sheikh Mohammed to transform Dubai into the most developed city in the world.

Considered one of the most complex architectural projects in the world, it was built using the “parametric design” model, a three-dimensional technology based on advanced technical design that works by entering data and parameters for the building to be designed.

The stainless-steel facade of the museum consists of 1,024 panels over an area of 17,600 square metres. The facade panels were produced using automated robotic arms in a first in the region, with each panel consisting of four layers, and requiring a 16-step process to produce.

Each panel was installed individually, with the installation period for the external facade lasting more than 18 months.

The museum is accessed via two bridges, the first of which extends to the buildings of Jumeirah Emirates Towers with a length of 69m, and the second connects it to the Emirates Towers metro station with a length of 212m, WAM added.

The museum is fed with 4,000mW of electricity that is produced through solar energy using solar panels connected to the museum.

The facade of the Museum of the Future is illuminated by 14,000 metres of light lines and is decorated with inspirational quotes from Sheikh Mohammed’s poetry in Arabic calligraphy, making it the only building in the world whose entire façade is adorned using the art of calligraphy.

The engraved writing on the steel facade is designed using advanced glass manufactured with new technologies specifically to improve the quality of interior lighting and exterior thermal insulation, said the WAM report.

Spanning an area of 30,000sqm, the seven-storey pillarless structure also represents a novel global intellectual centre. It consists of three main elements: the hill or plateau from which the building rises, the external design of the building, and the exhibition space inside the museum.

The Museum of the Future features a multi-use hall that accommodates more than 1,000 people, and its sections include a special hall for interactive lectures and workshops that can accommodate more than 345 people.

The museum is envisaged to be an incubator for global talents, scientists, thinkers and researchers, to bring their bold ideas and visions of the future to life. It will launch new initiatives in the fields of science and technology to strengthen the UAE’s knowledge-base to further accelerate scientific development, said the WAM report.

The museum employs the latest technologies in virtual and augmented reality, big data analysis, artificial intelligence and human machine interaction to answer many questions related to the future of humanity, cities, societies and life on Earth, all the way to outer space.

It also includes innovation laboratories for health, education, smart cities, energy and transportation, a permanent museum of future innovations, and laboratories to generate and test new ideas, especially in developmental areas related to critical social challenges. The Museum of the Future takes its visitors on an experiential journey that transports them to the year 2071, which coincides with the centenary of the founding of the UAE.