Overlooking the Persian Gulf, the National Museum of Bahrain brings 6,000 years of the region's history to life. The museum consists of nine separate exhibition rooms, each with a floor area of 625 m². A large foyer of 1450 m² connects the nine rooms and also serves as a showroom for the temporary exhibitions.
Bahrain
States of Bahrain
1990
The hard and the soft
The museum consists of nine separate exhibition rooms, each with a floor area of 625 m². A large foyer of 1450 m² connects the nine rooms and also serves as an exhibition space for the temporary exhibitions. In addition, the museum contains administrative offices, conservation laboratories, storage rooms as well as a library and restaurant. The materials have been selected with regard to function, climate, durability, tradition and aesthetic quality. The hard and resistant travertine forms the background for the light, woven aluminium elements that serve as solar protection at the window areas. The interior walls are also travertine and the foyer floor is a marble of the same colour. The exhibition areas have natural wood floors and carpeting respectively.
On the front row
The National Museum of Bahrain was built from 1987 to 1990 in cooperation with COWI Consult on the basis of an international selection in fierce competition with a number of foreign companies. The National Museum is centrally located in Bahrain's capital Manama, directly on the Persian Gulf, on one of the most attractive sites in the city. To create space for the huge building, an artificial peninsula of 123,000 m² was built in the water.
"The exterior of the museum is simple and unbroken. Inside, the spatial organisation of the museum and the inventive use of light ensure great variety in the rooms."
Mikkel Beedholm, Architect and Partner, KHR Architecture
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