The Zayed National Museum by Foster + Partners has specified sanitary ceramics from Duravit. Dedicated to the history of the United Arab Emirates, the museum’s architecture draws inspiration from falconry, an important part of the life of the country’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Designed by Foster + Partners, the building’s distinctive silhouette and its five steel wings form a defining feature of Saadiyat Island’s coastal landscape in Abu Dhabi, paying homage to its heritage. Its warm white colour palette reflects the island’s sandy landscape, creating a visual connection with the exterior surroundings. Within the museum’s sanitary facilities, Duravit’s D-Code range complements the similar light-toned interior.
Natural ventilation inspired by the chimney principle
According to Foster + Partners, the towers play an important role in the building’s natural ventilation strategy. Warm air escapes through openings at the top of the towers, while air pre-cooled in the ground is channelled through underground pipes into the atrium. A landscaped mound surrounding much of the museum also helps to reduce solar heat gain within the interior.
From the atrium to the coast
The museum’s circulation routes converge in the light-filled Al Liwan atrium. Defined by walls of white exposed concrete, this open space serves as a central meeting point and provides a setting for dance and poetry performances.
From the atrium, a sculptural spiral staircase and lifts provide access to four of the six permanent exhibition galleries, housed in pod-like structures above. Triple-glazed units incorporate a dense mesh interlayer to moderate incoming sunlight, while electrochromic glass skylights automatically adjust their transparency in response to changing external light levels.
The building’s external faceted facade panels reference the topography of the Emirates. Towards the coast, Al Masar Garden provides landscaped spaces for socialising, recreation and relaxation.
A cohesive design language across washrooms and toilets
The museum’s warm colour palette continues into its washroom facilities, where sand-coloured surfaces and large mirrors provide a backdrop for white washbasins and wall-mounted toilets from Duravit’s D-Code range.
Designed by sieger design, the ceramics combine clean rectangular forms with gently rounded contours. The washbasins feature wide rims that provide integrated vanity surfaces, while the coordinated styling of the basins and toilets creates a consistent aesthetic throughout the facilities.
