Dutch architecture office UNStudio has unveiled its blocky design for the highly-anticipated Dadu Children’s Museum of Qatar during the Venice Architecture Biennale. It is one of many museums currently under development in the country and is set to rise alongside the large Al Bidda Park in northern Doha.
Dadu means “play” in Arabic and the museum is geared toward children aged up to 11. UNStudio designed a building formed from a series of connecting blocky shapes arranged in a circle around a covered foyer. UNstudio co-founder Ben van Berkel said the idea of the blocky structure was conceived based on the building blocks of learning.
Moreover, the formation takes inspiration from the layout of historic villages in Doha which involves a central patio where families would gather and kids could play in the middle and feel safe knowing their parents are just near. As such, the Dadu Children’s Museum of Qatar features a central gathering space where kids can play on their own.
Arranged around this central space will be a series of galleries that feature interactive exhibitions dedicated to themes like science, sustainability, and the history of Doha. Likewise, incorporated along these blocky structures are activity rooms, a restaurant, and a cafe.
The Dadu Children’s Museum of Qatar will host a “variety of stimulating, interactive, and accessible indoor and outdoor experiences” that “offer families opportunities to play and learn together,” said Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar director Essa Al Mannai. The museum will help “nurture children’s creativity, imagination, and love of learning” and in the process, bring families closer together.
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Images courtesy of UNStudio
