Inspired by Dahl Al Misfir (Cave of Light), the National Museum of Qatar Gift Shops bring nature back into architecture, establishing relationships that connect people and nature through design. Using 3D modelling software, the shops are a three-dimensional puzzle, comprising 40,000 individual wooden pieces. Each is unique, fitting only with its corresponding piece and were assembled by hand on site. The design and craftsmanship for the Gift Shops represents a visually unique example of architecture and retail design that is culturally rooted and sympathetic to the local environment, human experience and place.
Entrance of Childrens Gift Shop, a cohesive integration between architecture and the interior spaces. Photo by Tom Ferguson
The gift shop interiors are characterised by soaring wooden walls that create a series of cavernous enclosures from stacked wooden profiles. Photo by Tom Ferguson
Light trickles from skylights that puncture the ceilings, also giving glimpses of the walls outside. Photo by Tom Ferguson