THE Museum of Islamic Art has won two prestigious American awards.
The awards have been given by two of the most recognised American boards, Concrete Industry Board (CI
and the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York).
In a letter to the acting CEO of Qatar Museums Authority and president of the Museum of Islamic Art, Abdulla al- Najjar, Leslie E Robertson Associates (LERA), the Consulting Structural Engineers, extended their congratulations and explained that Museum of Islamic Art was selected for its exquisite beauty and the imaginative structural design, required to accommodate IM Pie’s dramatic vision.
ACEC New York presented Qatar Museums Authority the Platinum Award for Engineering Excellence for the Museum of Islamic Art, while CIB has given the Museum of Islamic Art the Award of Merit Out of Country.
“We are pleased to get these awards from such recognised boards known by their accuracy and high-level standards in the field of architecture and engineering. This is a certificate to Museum of Islamic Art even before its official opening on November 22, making Qatar the global capital of culture,” said al-Najjar.
“We thank LERA for the awards which prove the uniqueness of the museum, as it resembles Islamic architecture, which is well-known around the world”, al-Najjar added.
The Museum of Islamic Art is a pioneering project, setting apart the cultural vision of the State of Qatar, both in the region and across the world.
The museum stands as an architectural masterpiece 60m off Doha’s Corniche on an island made of reclaimed land. Pritzker Prize laureate IM Pei was commissioned to design the 35,500sq m museum, inspiration for which he found in the 13th century sabil (ablutions fountain) of the 9th century Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun in Cairo, Egypt.
It is composed of a five-storey Main Building and a two-storey Education Wing, which are connected across a central courtyard.
The Main Building’s angular volumes step back progressively as they rise around a 50m high central domed atrium. The dome is concealed from outside view by the walls of a central tower.
A glass curtain wall rises to a height of 45m on the north side of the museum offering stunning views of the Gulf and West Bay area of Doha from all five floors of the atrium.
Collected from three continents including countries across the Middle East and as far as Spain and India, the museum’s artworks date from the 7th through to the 19th century. Representing the full scope of Islamic art, the collection includes manuscripts, ceramics, metal, glass, ivory, textiles, wood and precious stones, and are of superior quality.
Qatar Museums Authority was created in December 2005 to combine the resources of all museums in Qatar.
The authority’s vision revolves around the provision of a comprehensive umbrella under which future plans will be drawn for the development of national museums and the establishment of an effective system for collecting, protecting, preserving and interpreting historic sites, monuments and artifacts.
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