Barjeel Museum for Modern Arab Art (Sharjah, UAE) Competition entry to the Rifat Chadirji Prize 2019
A project with Youssef El Khoury
A sense of place Art brings people together because it stems from the human experience which is narrated through artists’ works. The museum narrates those stories, it conveys the humane dimension of art by allowing the public to appropriate the architectural experience.
A flowing space Being on the threshold of various urban fabrics (Al Tarfa - University of Sharjah), the site defines the identity of the museum that acts as a connecting space between the various elements of the city, becoming a continuation of the urban realm.
A contemporary response to Sharjah’s multi-layered urban and architectural identity The museum is experienced as a porous space rather than a monument. Its program is distributed among several buildings implanted around the main courtyard. A series of towers create an edge attenuating the presence of the highway, defining seven ‘passages’ from which the visitor infiltrates the museum’s courtyard. On the highway and courtyard sides, they communicate the museum’s events on digital screens.