ACCIONA : to undertake several stages of the Shindagha Heritage District in Dubai

ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño (APD) has been selected by Dubai Municipality (DM) to carry out the technical development and museographic implementation for phases 2A, 2C and 2D of the Shindagha project, in Dubai's Historic District, based on the design by Ralph Appelbaum Associates.

Dubai's Historic District covers 155 hectares and includes Shindagha, Deira and Bur Dubai. It will feature more than 60 projects, including the reconstruction of historic buildings, development of approximately 35,000 square metres of museums and a theatre, relocation of the Al Fahidi Fort Museum and Courtyard and development of a wide range of cultural features.

The Shindagha Museum project is divided into several stages or 'waves' corresponding to different theme pavilions made up of clustered historic houses, showcasing Dubai's history and culture. Specifically, Shindagha is the area where the Al Maktoum ruling royal family of Dubai originally lived. The restoration plan also includes a series of key buildings, museums, mosques, a tourism office, hotels, restaurants, etc.

Shindagha will promote the historical, artistic and cultural heritage of Dubai in an authentic context that will allow visitors to customize their experience based on their needs and interests. The Museum is comprised of a group of historic houses that will be reconstructed using authentic methods by the DM Architectural Heritage Department in order to respect the original construction as much as possible.

Shindagha will have 17 thematic pavilions and will display more than 50 collections with pieces of great historical and cultural value. The exhibit content in waves 2A, 2C and 2D will be developed and implemented entirely by ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño.

The museum project will combine the most innovative experiential, participatory and interactive technologies through multisensory and immersive video installations or projection mapping, together with traditional objects and elaborate graphics.

The 'Wave 2A' at Shindagha Museum includes four houses museums dedicated to different traditions in Emirati culture, covering an exhibition area of 2,950 m². The 'Craft Weaving and Textile House' will be a space to explore the country's handicrafts and understand their place in modern society through various 'hands-on' and interactive resources.

In the 'Traditional Healthcare House', visitors will learn about different traditional methods of caring for and adorning one's body through medicines and cosmetics, treatments, herbal remedies and personal hygiene, incorporating topics related to science, history and human nature. The exhibition is structured around key easy-to-understand messages for both uninformed tourists and local experts, making it an enriching experience for all types of visitors.

Finally, the 'Jewelry House' and the 'Traditional Fashion House' will pay tribute to the country's traditional jewellery and cloths. Visitors will learn about the various traditional methods of the old fashion specific styles of traditional clothing, jewellery and accessories for men, women and children that are unique or special in the United Arab Emirates.

The 'Wave 2C' of Shindagha Museum will cover an exhibition area of 3,280 m² based around eleven houses grouped under the shared 'Life on the Land' theme. The exhibition will focus on the different land environment in the UAE: Desert, Oasis, Coastal and Mountainous, and the importance of their harmonious coexistence, to tell visitors the story of the country's national identity in a unique manner. This 'wave' will also include an Orientation space, a native plants garden, a coffee/restaurant and an educational centre.

Eight main themes will contextualize the exhibition in this 'wave': 'The Land', 'Shelters', 'Expressions', 'Animals and Agriculture', 'Water. The Source of Life', 'Journeys', 'Landscape Garden' and 'Trade and Diversity'.

The thematic area 'The Land' will introduce visitors to the four main landscapes in the Emirate of Dubai: Desert, Oasis, Coastal and Mountainous. Visitors then move on to the 'Shelters' Pavilion, which will demonstrate reproductions of Emirati homes in the four landscapes introduced before, as well as the materials used in each one.

Meanwhile, the 'Expressions' Pavilion will offer a more in-depth look at the intangible heritage of Emirati culture, such as music and poetry. There will also be a garden with local plants.

'Animals and Agriculture' will be based on Hunting and domesticated animals. This part of the exhibition will show visitors how the foods in each habitat originated and were grown.

Meanwhile, 'Water. The Source of Life' will recreate the way in which water was obtained in each environment and distributed to their inhabitants, and how this helped in the development of the UAE.

The 'Journey' area will show how people travelled in each zone, highlighting the importance of camels and the arrival of four-wheeled vehicles.

Finally, the 'Trade and Diversity' Pavilion will show how trade and ideas used to be exchanged in each habitat, and between these habitats, prior to unification and the discovery of oil.

The 'Wave' 2D awarded to ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño, meanwhile, will revolve around the 'Navigation' theme. With a total exhibition area of 995.4 m2, it will be developed in 6 historic houses in the Shindagha district. In this pavilion, visitors will understand the role of Astronomy in navigation of the past, and learn traditional navigation techniques, skills and instruments, underscoring their importance for safety and survival. The interpretive experience will focus fundamentally on three themes: marine navigation, land navigation and aeronautical/space navigation. Visitors will learn about innovations from the past that continue to be useful today, as well as current techniques, with a view to the future of aeronautical and space navigation in the UAE.

The 'Waves' 2A, 2C and 2D are expected to open in the second half of 2018.