Living in the future.
Finally, three years after its inauguration in 2022, I conquered The Museum of the Future in Dubai with my sister. I briefly mentioned this in a previous post a day before my sister heads home to the Philippines following her two-week visit.
We were okay that we did not go to the Museum of the Future last week. But a dear friend suggested that we go, since it's connected to the metro and the walkways going there are covered, so it is not going to be hot.
The covered walkway from the Emirates Tower Metro Station is a big factor to the accessibility of the Museum. If it were not for this, we would not have considered going here. It is directly connected - like no gates, no security. The end of the walkway is already the museum lobby.
In the Future
I remember when I first saw the video advertising the launch of this museum. There was a spaceship landing on the building that opened its roof! Seriously!
For a moment, I thought it could be real.
Now, we're finally here.
The white ceiling had Arabic calligraphy with flowing lights. Really mesmerizing.
There's a curved staircase that went down to the lobby and the doors that lead to the front and back of the museum.
The ground floor also had the ticketing area for those who really wanted to go up and explore the Museum. It was close to mid-day at that time and we still had to go to the Dubai Mall after that. We did not attempt to get tickets anymore. We decided to just wander at the lobby, which was free access to visitors.
The elevator was like something from a sci-fi movie, too! We could see the people from the glass elevator zooming up to the upper levels of the museum.
Robotic Barista
After my sister and I were done enjoying the sight from upstairs, we decided to go down and we found this coffee shop that boasted of a robotic barista.
Would you want to get a coffee prepared by a robot? I think you need to scan the QR and place your order, then the robot will prepare it.
The robot was out for lunch when we passed by, but we were still happy to see it in action when we came back. Cool dude seemed to waved at the people in front of it. LOL.
The Museum from the outside.
After roaming around at the lobby for some time, we went out to check the building from the outside. We've marveled at it many times from afar as we travel through Sheikh Zayed Road. It is exceptionally beautiful, especially at night. But it is equally striking at daytime as well.
Can you imagine this round structure with a "hole in the middle" has seven floors in total?
It doesn't look like that, right?
I am not sure if the calligraphy inside are similar to these ones on the stainless steel facade of the building.
The facade is a canvas for the quotes of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum rendered in the calligraphy of Mattar bin Lahej. Source.
The circular building represents humanity; the green mound it sits atop represents the earth; the void represents the unknown future.
I love it when they construct structures that have lots of symbolism.
You can see in the picture below the iconic stainless structure showing a three-fingered hand salute. It is a gesture conceived by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The salute shows a W for Win, a V for Victory, and an L for Love.
Memorable Future.
Our quick stop at the Museum of the Future was a memorable one. Far from the high-rise buildings common in Dubai, the Museum of the Future still stands out. It served as a reminder that the future isn't just something we imagine; it's something we actively build and experience, even in the present. Dubai showed it to us through this architectural marvel. Hopefully, we get to explore it fully in our next visit. In the future.
All photos are owned by the author unless stated otherwise.
