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.
The Burj Kalifa is the world's tallest building, which at 134 stories is truly an engineering feat. Our architecture delegation to the UAE, organized by Meridian International Center and Embassy of the UAE US, was privy to a very detailed tour with the building's chief engineer, which was a truly mind-blowing excursion. And not to be outdone, the site's owner developer is already hard at work on design for the next world's tallest building, just a kilometer away.
