Qasr Al Hosn, in the heart of central Abu Dhabi, hosts an old fort that is the city's oldest building (1795) that once housed the royal family and is now a museum, the modern mosque by CEBRA Architecture, along with the Cultural Foundation containing a fantastic childrens library. As usual, our group started out behind schedule and arriving near to sunset, ran from one cultural site to the next, trying to soak in as much as possible, including a traditional tea service, a maker session with couturiers from around the globe, a tour and a visit to the sacred prayer spaces (womens side for us), all while attempting to capture views of the beauty and magnitude of all that we were experiencing. Bravo to Dana Al Marashi and Haitham Al Mussawi with the UAE Embassy for sheparding us along this journey! And to Lindsay Amini and TK Harvey from Meridian International as well! @UAEUSAUNITED @uaeembassyus @meridianintl
This post is a glimpse into the fantastic Al Shindagha and Perfume museums on Old Dubai Creek, impeccable modern museums design rife with interactive displays that shed light onto the history of the region's culture and commercer. Absolutely loved these spaces. Then after crossing the creek by boat we were toured in the old commercial district of Dubai and got to shoot some very cool MCM buildings on the fly, all while trying to keep up with the group and our fantastic giude.
Another fascinating pitstop on our whirlwind delegation tour of the UAE late last year, the Office of the Future, as part of Dubai Futures Foundation, is built entirely by a 3D printer using a shotcrete concrete. The Museum of the Future sits adjacent and will be open in time for EXPO 2020 held in Dubai. Our group had the rare opportunity to tour this site under construction, which with my background in construction documentation, was a major thrill that found me right in my element.
Dubai's Etihad Museum's modern wing designed by Tokyo-based Moriyama and Teshima Architects, is symbolic of a massive floating scroll, and is meant to depict the parchment on which the convenant to unify the 7 Emirates was signed in 1971, Etihad meaning a convenant or agreement. The original building is classic late mid-century modernist, and houses government offices prior to becoming a museum.
