Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre
Content & Interpretation - Exhibition Design - Strategy
Client: Alghanim International on behalf of the Amiri Diwan
Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait
Size: 22,000sqm of galleries over 13 hectare site
Completed: 2018
Cultural Innovations was appointed in 2013 to develop the vision, content and exhibition design for the world’s largest cultural project - the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre. The museum complex houses 4 museums with 23 galleries in over 22,000sqm, presenting over 800 exhibits and experiences. To deliver the project we assembled a team of over 140 industry specialists.
Using our wealth of experience in museums, culture, science and attractions development, the Cultural Innovations team curated a modern and immersive series of museums with enormous breadth, not constrained by existing collections, delivering content and experiences that are directly relevant to the people of Kuwait.
Natural History Museum
Science and Technology Museum
Arabic Islamic Science Museum
Space Museum
Content & Interpretation
Cultural innovations developed the content and interpretation across all four museums. Our team’s wide-ranging skills developed the interpretive elements across the site, from the overarching stories and narrative right down to the details of model displays and graphic panel text. All elements were developed with reference to the Kuwaiti curriculum and STEM objectives.
The interpretation and content development team consisted of 30 content specialists, with our extensive range of experts assembled from universities, zoos, botanic gardens, museums and international organisations such as the European Space Agency, to provide advice and to ensure scientific facts and interpretation were correct.
Exhibition Design
Using leading-edge technology, immersive environments, large-scale models and compelling interactivity across all four museums, the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salam Cultural Centre provides an exciting range of attractions as well as a fresh new learning approach for Kuwaitis.
Our design team comprised 25 exhibition designers who collaborated with additional specialists for graphics, lighting, audio-visual design, and specialist contractors to develop this world-class cultural site.
To deliver this landmark project Cultural Innovations worked in collaboration with architects SSH Design and contractors Alghanim International and Beck.
Strategy
Cultural Innovations provided strategy support throughout the project. Our work included masterplanning the entire site including museum galleries and the wider public realm, in parallel we developed the architecture in collaboration with SSH architects to ensure museum functional requirements were met, including spatial development, and sub-division of the museums and gallery spaces.
Collaborating with the appointed fabrication contractors, our team contributed to the overall procurement planning for the exhibition elements.
Our team also assisted with the outline operational planning and assumptions to aid the initial opening and operation of the cultural site.
Graphic Design: ACME Studios
Lighting Design: Sutton Vane Associates
AV Media Design: New Angle
AV Hardware Design: Electrosonic
Procurement Planning, Costing and Buildability Review: Beck Interiors