Zayed National Museum

The Museum & The Collection

Located at the heart of Saadiyat Cultural District Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum is the national museum of the United Arab Emirates. The museum celebrates the rich history, culture and stories of its people from ancient times to modern day. It also tells the story of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose enduring example still guides the nation and its people today. Through its exhibitions, research and public programmes, Zayed National Museum explores the origins of the values that Sheikh Zayed embodied and their lasting influence on the country he founded.

The Assignment & The Challenges

For the main lobby area, Meyvaert was commissioned to design, engineer, produce and install two large showcases with a long curved geometry that wraps around the retail space in an almost circular layout. The design combined bronze profiles with special curved glass, making the precision of every interface essential. With complex coordination required at the boundaries between showcase construction and concrete works, extensive structural calculations were performed to ensure the unit was buildable. Production of the bronze and the curved glass had to be executed under extremely low tolerances to guarantee perfect alignment across the long radii and multiple glazed sections.

The Solutions & The Result

Once the production green light was provided, Meyvaert delivered the project under a tight planning and on budget. All coordination was a success and the final fit confirmed that the materials worked together as intended, including the concrete setworks. Internally, the team referred to this solution as the “Rolex Category” showcase, a nickname that originated in a customer meeting, capturing the ambition behind the concept: if Rolex can build their watches in premium materials, so can Meyvaert.