United Arab Emirates • Looking somewhat like an enormous seashell or perhaps a lobster’s claw, Dubai’s Museum of the Future is a spectacular addition to the city’s impressive skyline. The seven-storey building is 77 metres tall and has a beautifully curved shape that doesn’t need support columns. Its 17,600-square-metre stainless-steel facade displays Arabic calligraphy — quotations by Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum — and these letters are also the windows of the building.
The museum, which opened to the public in February 2022, presents innovative projects and developments in science, technology and society, as well as exhibitions on some of the great global challenges, such as climate change. The museum is another highlight in a region already popular with tourists and business travellers. And Dubai has plans to attract 25 million visitors a year by 2025, which would make it the most visited city in the world.