I.M. Pei has designed the 376,740-sq.-ft. Museum of Islamic Art,
rising from its own island in the Arabian Gulf in Doha Qatar. The
site is set to open on Nov. 22, 2008, and assembles a collection of
masterpieces in galleries that encircle a five-storey-high domed
atrium.
Pei suggested a stand-alone island, made of reclaimed land, to
ensure that future buildings would never encroach on the museum.
"The remarkable building by I.M. Pei seeks the essence of Islamic
architecture, expressed in distinctly modern form," says Abdulla Al
Najjar, acting CEO of the Qatar Museums Authority and president of
the Museum of Islamic Art.
On a quest for a further understanding of Islamic architecture,
I.M. Pei took a world tour that led him to Spain's Grand Mosque;
Fatehpur Sikri, a Mughal capital in India; the Umayyad Great Mosque
in Syria; and the ribat fortresses at Monastir and Sousse in
Tunisia. He found his greatest design inspiration in the 13th
century sabil, or ablutions fountain, of the Mosque of Ahmad Ibn
Tulun in Cairo. According to Pei, it offered "an almost Cubist
expression of geometric progression," evoking a key design element
of Islamic architecture.
"Our inaugural exhibition, organized with the co-operation of
leading cultural institutions, establishes the museum as a platform
for international dialogue," Najjar says. "In all these ways, the
Museum of Islamic Art demonstrates the aspiration of Qatar to
bridge the past and the present, the East and the West."
The museum is composed of a five-storey main building and a
two-storey education wing, connected across a central courtyard. It
was built using materials from around the globe, including concrete
from Qatar, limestones from France, and granite from the U.S.
A 164 ft. high central domed atrium graces the main building. At
the top of the atrium sits an oculus that captures and reflects
patterned light within the dome. A glass curtain wall sits at the
north side of the museum, offering views of the Gulf and West Bay
area of Doha from all five floors of the atrium.
The galleries were designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte & Associés.
No natural light will enter the exhibition rooms in order to
protect the antiquities and they will feature specially designed
display cases.
ChetanI.M. Pei Designs the Museum of Islamic Art
April 8, 2008
I.M. Pei has designed the 376,740-sq.-ft. Museum of Islamic Art, rising from its own island in the Arabian Gulf in Doha Qatar. The site is set to open on Nov. 22, 2008, and assembles a collection of masterpieces in galleries that encircle a five-storey-high domed atrium.
Pei suggested a stand-alone island, made of reclaimed land, to ensure that future buildings would never encroach on the museum.
"The remarkable building by I.M. Pei seeks the essence of Islamic architecture, expressed in distinctly modern form," says Abdulla Al Najjar, acting CEO of the Qatar Museums Authority and president of the Museum of Islamic Art.
On a quest for a further understanding of Islamic architecture, I.M. Pei took a world tour that led him to Spain's Grand Mosque; Fatehpur Sikri, a Mughal capital in India; the Umayyad Great Mosque in Syria; and the ribat fortresses at Monastir and Sousse in Tunisia. He found his greatest design inspiration in the 13th century sabil, or ablutions fountain, of the Mosque of Ahmad Ibn Tulun in Cairo. According to Pei, it offered "an almost Cubist expression of geometric progression," evoking a key design element of Islamic architecture.
"Our inaugural exhibition, organized with the co-operation of leading cultural institutions, establishes the museum as a platform for international dialogue," Najjar says. "In all these ways, the Museum of Islamic Art demonstrates the aspiration of Qatar to bridge the past and the present, the East and the West."
The museum is composed of a five-storey main building and a two-storey education wing, connected across a central courtyard. It was built using materials from around the globe, including concrete from Qatar, limestones from France, and granite from the U.S.
A 164 ft. high central domed atrium graces the main building. At the top of the atrium sits an oculus that captures and reflects patterned light within the dome. A glass curtain wall sits at the north side of the museum, offering views of the Gulf and West Bay area of Doha from all five floors of the atrium.
The galleries were designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte & Associés. No natural light will enter the exhibition rooms in order to protect the antiquities and they will feature specially designed display cases.
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