Qatar Museums has released renderings showcasing the future Lusail Museum, designed by Swiss architecture office Herzog & de Meuron. The museum will house one of the largest collections of Orientalist art, exploring the movement of people and ideas across the globe and over the centuries. The new institution also strives to provide opportunities for high-level study for scholars, academics, policymakers, and curators. Consequently, the building is conceived as “a vertically layered souk, or miniature city contained within a single building,” aiming to encourage conversations, debates, and meditation on global issues.
Located on the southern tip of the island, Herzog & de Meuron’s design takes a circular shape inspired by local building traditions. The overall volume is carved, revealing crescent-shaped spaces lit from above that accommodate public functions such as the library, auditorium, shop, café, and prayer space. The museum’s location was chosen for its historical significance, being near the site where the founder of modern Qatar, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, made his home in the late 1800s.
The exterior cladding of the museum displays a rough, sand-like image, connected to its coastal setting. To strengthen the connection with the local vernacular, the architects are collaborating with regional artisans and craftspeople to showcase and preserve historic practices and trades. The variations in scale and material quality also serve to create a sensory experience for the visitor. The space includes a polished plaster stair, a reflective metal prayer area, a wooden-paneled library, a soft auditorium, and various cushioned niches, all featuring a mix of materials like wood, textiles, metals, and ceramic tiles.
The gallery floors boast diverse shapes and proportions, tailored to accommodate various exhibitions. On the top floor, four abstract replicas from significant historical buildings serve as anchor spaces: Murat III's bedroom pavilion dome from the Palace of Topkapi (1579) in Istanbul, the Jameh Mosque dome in Natanz (1320), the Ablution fountain from Ibn Tulun Mosque courtyard in Cairo (1296), and the Aljafaria dome in Saragossa (1050). In contrast to traditional galleries, these spaces offer different types of curatorial and educational prospects.
In a recent podcast interview, Qatar Museum’s chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, discussed with Jacques Herzog. Together, they delved into matters regarding the modern cultural landscape of the country as well as the architect’s inspiration for the Lusail Museum and the significance of the chosen location.
On a similar note, Herzog & de Meuron has recently revealed designs for an emerging type of cultural institution, the Seoripul Open Art Storage, a collective archive space that will serve three museums in Seoul, South Korea, while also opening up the collection for the larger public. Earlier in 2023, Herzog & de Meuron was honored as the 36th Louis I. Kahn Award winner, an annual award founded in 1983 in memory of Philadelphia architect Louis Kahn.
