Agata Kurzela Studio Weaves Emirati Craft into Zayed National Museum

The interior concept by Agata Kurzela Studio for the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is structured around cycles of time, ritual, and material memory. At Majlis Al Shaheen, the tradition of welcoming guests with gahwa informs a palette of textures and references associated with dates, coffee pots, and woven safeefah. On the first floor, interconnected meeting spaces are arranged around a central courtyard. Their spatial sequence draws from the Al Durour calendar, a traditional regional system that divides the year according to ecological and climatic changes. This reference is expressed through variations in spatial density, color, and surface texture across the sequence of rooms.

The luminous atrium, Al Liwan, retains a more open and monumental character, providing areas for orientation and pause beneath the building's large-scale architecture. A modular seating system developed by the studio is integrated into the space as part of its architectural organization. The majlis interiors adopt more contained material palettes. Majlis Al Hurr 1 references Al Sheta, the winter season, through muted greens, desert-inspired tones, and embroidered motifs associated with rain, while Majlis Al Hurr 2 responds to Al Qaith, the intense summer period, through a brighter palette. In the main Boardroom, Al Saif informs the interior, with kandura-imprint wall panels introducing a direct material reference to regional clothing.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

The Research Library adopts a more graphic and contrasting material language inspired by the construction and material qualities of the Bedouin tent. Positioned overlooking the Magan Boat and its black woollen sail, the library combines burnished bronze, solid timber, and semi-raw wool sofa systems. Across the museum, the material palette incorporates wool, rope, hand-thrown ceramics, camel leather, patinated metals, and local stone, establishing physical connections to regional craft traditions. In Majlis Al Shaheen, custom carpets feature long tactile fringes referencing animal fur, alongside patterns derived from traditional carved wooden doors.