teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi is an innovative multi-sensory art space that will be a significant new addition to the Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The immersive environment, where art and technology converge, is designed to spark curiosity, imagination, and creativity, offering visitors an unparalleled multi-sensory experience.
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The project is being developed by the Japan-based international art collective teamLab in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and Miral, Abu Dhabi’s premier creator of immersive destinations and experiences.
teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi is scheduled for completion in 2024.
Location
teamLab Phenomena is located in the heart of Saadiyat Cultural District at Saadiyat Island, a coastal area in Abu Dhabi.
Saadiyat Cultural District is a major development undertaken by the government to establish a cultural destination in the country. It will comprise several attractions, including museums, cultural centres, and educational institutions.
teamLab Phenomena will join a prestigious neighbourhood that includes the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Berklee Abu Dhabi, and Manarat Al Saadiyat.
Other significant cultural projects include the Zayed National Museum, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, and the Abrahamic Family House.
The latest addition will further enrich the district’s cultural landscape providing an innovative art experience.
teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi details
The teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi will have a gross floor area of 17,000m². It will house large-scale immersive and unique installations, developed through extensive research and development, that will be exclusive to Abu Dhabi.
The artworks are not individual pieces but are based on the environment, which produces the various phenomena.
The environment stabilises the structure of these phenomena, which in turn become the artworks themselves.
In contrast to stones or manmade objects that maintain a stable structure autonomously, the artworks at teamLab Phenomena rely on their environment for existence.
The project will transform naturally occurring phenomena such as air, water, and light into distinctive works of art.
teamLab Phenomena architecture details
The architecture of teamLab Phenomena is conceptualised to mirror the characteristics of a living organism and is based on teamLab’s new concept, Environmental Phenomena.
The design philosophy manifests in an organic form that seamlessly integrates the interior and exterior that is covered and connected by an organic architectural skin, akin to a life form with internal organs protected by an external skin.
The building’s exterior resembles a cloud and is intended to dissolve the visitor’s awareness of its scale and focus attention on individual experiences.
The mouth-like entrance of the building invites visitors to explore like navigating through a forest.
The experience blurs the line between being within the whole forest or merely a fragment of it, with the initial scale of the space remaining elusive.
Visitors will be immersed in a world that changes and evolves organically through their participation and actions, thereby expanding their sense of value through physical experience.
The symbiotic relationship allows the artworks to evolve with the space, promising a distinct experience with each visit.
Financing
INPEX, an oil company based in Japan, awarded a Y1bn ($7.42m) sponsorship to the project through its subsidiary Japan Oil Development, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the DCT Abu Dhabi in February 2023.
Contractors involved
ALEC, a construction group based in the UAE, was appointed as the main contractor for the project. MZ Architects, an architectural company based in Abu Dhabi, is the project architect.
Dutch Foundations, a ground engineering company, was responsible for enabling, piling, shoring and marine works for the project. AECOM Middle East, an infrastructure consulting business, served as the consultant.
Sahara Engineering, a steel contracting and construction company, was contracted to undertake structural steel installation works.
