The new National Museum of Qatar in Doha

Designed by the star architect Jean Nouvel, the new National Museum of Qatar is a landmark in the urban fabric of Doha, with its curved discs, cantilevered intersections and angles, all inspired by the local desert rose. The building embraces the recently restored palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani, itself the heart of Qatar’s national identity.

Goppion’s contribution to the Museum is of great importance and impact as the company was commissioned to create the display cases that contain objects and relics of great documentary, historical and symbolic value to this small state jutting into the Persian Gulf.

The eight large ‘leaders’ showcases will present profiles of eight eminent people who forged the history and fortune of this former British protectorate. Three meters high, 2.5 meters wide, these cases were designed, at the express request of the Museum, with hinged-door opening, large glass surfaces and maple wood finishes.

Instead, the ‘currency and stamps’ showcase is very long with a complex opening mechanism; it is equipped with drawers and a well-organized internal display system to house the country’s coin and stamp series.

The ‘flag’ showcase, also of great symbolic value, will exhibit the original flag of the newly established constitutional monarchy, which gained its independence in 1971.

Finally, the ‘round’ showcase, cylindrical and viewed from above through a glass top with pantograph opening mechanism, is destined for the display of particularly valuable specimens.

All the display cases, with the exception of the so-called ‘leaders’, are made of glass and steel powder-coated to evoke the tactile and visual aspects of the familiar desert sand.