Museums
Jebel Buhais
An immersive geological journey through 93 million years of landscape, fossils and deep time.
The experience
Visitors travel through 93 million years of geological history: from an ancient ocean to the limestone ridges of Jebel Buhais. A 180° theatre, interactive exhibits, fossils and panoramic desert views make deep time tangible.
Stats
Client: Ralph Appelbaum Associates
End client: EPAA
Design: RAA
Location: Sharjah, UAE
Year: 2019
Surface: 670 m²
Our job
Hypsos worked with Ralph Appelbaum Associates on design development, production, AV content, wayfinding, transport, technical engineering, installation and on-site coordination, overseeing the full fit-out process in Sharjah.
Awards
The building won several architecture awards, including the Architecture MasterPrize Cultural Architecture Award and the FX Award for Museum or Exhibition Space.
Echoes through time
In the desert of Sharjah, Buhais Geology Park turns the earth’s history into something you can feel. Built on the former seabed of the Al Madam Plain, the experience takes visitors from ancient oceans to mountain ridges, fossils and desert landscapes shaped over millions of years.
The journey begins in a custom-built theatre. A 180° curved screen, surround sound and synchronised lighting pull visitors into 93 million years of geological history. Then, at the end of the film, the screen moves away. Suddenly, the story is no longer on the wall. It is right outside, in the Jebel Buhais landscape itself.
Hypsos worked with Ralph Appelbaum Associates to bring this museum experience to life, from design development, production and AV content to wayfinding, transport, technical engineering, setup and installation. A full-scale mock-up in the Netherlands helped test every detail before the build moved to a remote desert location in the UAE.
With interactive exhibits, a 360° globe, curved display tables, fossils and handcrafted bronze elements, the result is a layered visitor experience where science, landscape and storytelling come together in one immersive journey through deep time.
Project credits
End client: EPAA.
Exhibition design: Ralph Appelbaum Associates.
Architecture: Hopkins Architects.
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