The Museum of Islamic Art was originally built in 2008, with architecture by IM Pei, and the exhibition galleries designed by Paris-based architects and designers Wilmotte & Associés.
It is a globally acclaimed museum and houses one of the largest and most important collections of Islamic art in the world. In 2021, the museum commenced the process of refurbishing the galleries and re-configuring the exhibits across the galleries to significantly enhance the visitor experience. This project was put out to competition and Wilmotte & Associés again won the commission. dpa lighting consultants were honoured to be part of the winning team and worked closely with Wilmotte & Associés, as well as the many other specialist consultants on the project. The display of exhibits was reorganised and new exhibits added, with some large new pieces such as the ‘Damascus Room’.
It was recognised that a significant part of the new project would be to upgrade the lighting. The original lighting scheme used old tungsten halogen light sources and custom-made motorised remote-controlled light fixtures which no longer worked. Fibre optic lighting within the display cases had old technology and its efficiency had become very poor. The control system did not work as required and would need a complete overhaul. The dpa team developed a new scheme and specification of light fixtures suitable for the present day and into the future. All light sources were changed to LED and new custom-designed remote control light fixtures were designed to fit within the existing ceiling design. Fibre optic systems were upgraded, and a new Xicato Bluetooth control system was integrated to bypass the existing and obsolete original system which could not be saved. Many mock-ups and trials were carried out to ensure the optimum results. Conservation and colour rendering considerations were critically important for most of the exhibits so light source specification and dimming control had to be optimised. The project was challenging in many respects but extremely rewarding for the team, and it was a privilege to have been involved with this project.
Client: MIA led by MIA Director Dr. Julia Gonnella
Lead Designer: Wilmotte & Associés, led by Emmanuel Brelot
Project Management: Gleeds France
MEP: Cundall
Muséographe: Lydia Elhadad
Audio Visual: Soheil Ghodsy
Video: Video Amplitude, France
Signage: Ent-Id, France
Main Contractor: Boom Construction, Qatar