Zayed National Museum
Exhibition Lighting
Where light becomes detail
In the heart of the Saadiyat Cultural District, the new National Museum of the United Arab Emirates recounts over 300,000 years of history: from the first human settlements on the Arabian Peninsula to the vision of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the nation’s founding father. Designed by Foster + Partners — responsible for both the architecture and the lighting design of the exhibition spaces — the building translates the desert landscape into a built form: five tapered towers evoking the wings of a falcon, an artificial hill shielding the interior spaces from the heat, and an outer skin that reflects the warm hues of Saadiyat Island’s sand.
In architecture already rich in meaning, light is entrusted with the most delicate task: to reveal without adding. Three DGA luminaires are situated in three different areas of the museum itinerary, integrated into Foster + Partners’ vision and in keeping with the design language of the exhibition.
Beneath the large skylight in the atrium, where natural light filters through a triangular latticework of steel and glass, the Magan Boat tells the story of the region’s ancient sea routes. Here, the role of artificial lighting is as subtle as it is essential: to interact with daylight without overpowering it, guiding the eye along the hull and the sail without compromising the natural effect intended by the architects. The Tono spotlights bring out the three-dimensionality of the wooden structure and the texture of the sail, in constant balance with the overhead light streaming through the dome.
BETWEEN THE GALLERIES
The exhibition route unfolds through themed galleries, linked by connecting spaces that mark the transition from one theme to the next. Here, the Tono RF recessed luminaires provide continuous, uniform lighting, ensuring visual consistency that guides visitors along the entire route.
THE JEWELLERY WALL
In the gallery dedicated to traditional jewellery and women’s heritage, the earthen wall comes to life with small vase-shaped sculptures, arranged like an irregular constellation across the undulating surface. At the base of each, the miniaturised Nano Tini i recessed lights disappear from view, allowing only their effect to emerge: a warm, raking light that sculpts the texture of the wall, lengthens the shadows of the sculptures and transforms the wall into a narrative element — in silent dialogue with the display cases housing jewellery and artefacts.
Three products, three different applications, the same precision: illuminating without ever betraying the architect’s intention. At the Zayed National Museum, DGA products form part of Foster + Partners’ vision, serving a history spanning three hundred thousand years, told with the same care given to the smallest of details.
