Dune. Zayed National Museum

Zayed National Museum, completed by the British studio Foster + Partners on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, is the centrepiece of the cultural district. It is dedicated to the UAE founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and celebrates the history and roots of the Emirates across seven galleries. The interiors are characterised by suspending pods, which are clad in glass-reinforced concrete panels, with gaps created around them that allow natural light to enter the lobby and to bounce off on the walls. Its palette and eco-friendly design wants to evoke desert topography and landscape.