Jean Nouvel's future National Museum of Qatar

The Qatar Museums Authority has unveiled its new museum, designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel. The project embodies the traditions of the Qatari people while offering visitors an international dialogue on rapid change and modernisation. Built around a historic building, the Fariq Al Salatah palace, which has housed a heritage museum since 1975, the National Museum of Qatar has been conceived and designed as an entirely new institution, in keeping with the great ambitions that drive the QMA.

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Jean Nouvel's design is active and dynamic. Prominently sited within a 139,000 m² development at the southern tip of Doha, it will be the first landmark seen by travellers arriving from the airport. The scheme is based on an assembly of desert-rose forms, in which the discs serve as both roof and walls. The discs are, quite simply, reinforced concrete slabs, and inside they conceal the columns. Glazed façades will fill the gaps between the discs, bringing natural light into the building.

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Speaking about his design, Jean Nouvel said: "From there, you leave the desert behind and come away with precious images that will remain engraved in your memory. The National Museum of Qatar will become the voice of a culture, delivering a message of modernity, metamorphosis and the beauty that arises when the desert meets the sea."

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The project comprises a main gallery of 7,990 m², an annexe gallery of 2,000 m², a 220-seat auditorium, a 70-seat forum with a television studio, two cafés, a restaurant and a museum shop. Separate facilities are planned for school groups and guests. There are also a heritage research laboratory, and further laboratories for the restoration and storage of the artefacts.

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The museum gardens have been designed specifically for Qatar's harsh climate. The planting will include native grasses and plants, such as pomegranate trees, date palms and the Sidra tree, Qatar's national tree. The landscaping will also include sand dunes.

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A visit to the museum will explore three major interlinked themes along a loop of galleries. These are the natural history of the Qatar peninsula, with the flora and fauna that have adapted to this harsh environment of sand and sea; the social and cultural history of Qatar, with its traditions and the interaction between people and the natural world; and the history of Qatar as a nation, from the 18th century to the present day.