ACCIONA Cultura

With the opening of Zayed National Museum | متحف زايد الوطني on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, we want to share this video from the museum which captures a moment that feels truly special. What were once concepts, sketches, and visions shared around a table are now living spaces where stories and elements unfold before visitors of all ages. Watching these narratives come alive, and seeing people connect with them, is a reminder of why we do what we do. Our role in the project has helped to shape how visitors experience the legacy of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the unique landscapes of the UAE, translating heritage into moments of discovery, reflection, and emotion. #ACCIONACultura #ZayedNationalMuseum #AbuDhabi

ACCIONA Cultura joins today’s celebration of the opening of the Zayed National Museum | متحف زايد الوطني on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi. Designed by Foster + Partners, this landmark is dedicated to the life and values of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan that explores the rich history and culture of the UAE through the museum’s galleries, research and public programmes. We take this opportunity to highlight the innovative museographic work featured in two of the museum’s main galleries: -Our Beginning, which sheds new light on the life, legacy and values of the Founding Father of the UAE through an authentic form of storytelling. -Through Our Nature, this space immerses visitors in the diverse landscapes that exist within the UAE and examines their historical impact on the nature and rhythm of life in the emirates. This museum stands as a centre that inspires UAE’s next generation of researchers, historians, archaeologists and cultural professionals. #ACCIONACultura #ZayedNationalMuseum

At the Children's Museum inside The Grand Egyptian Museum, heritage is something you learn by doing. Stories of ancient Egypt are translated into games, models and hands-on activities designed at a child’s scale, so the first contact with culture is playful, intuitive and welcoming. ACCIONA Cultura worked on the museographic fit-out of this space, designing interactive stations, activity tables and display elements adapted to younger visitors. For us, it’s a laboratory where play, education and multisensory design come together to bring culture closer to future generations. #ACCIONACultura #GrandEgyptianMuseum #ChildrensMuseum

Light is one of the first elements visitors encounter at The Grand Egyptian Museum. Before they read a label or engage with any content, they first experience the building through the illumination of Ramses and how the Grand Stairs guide their gaze and their steps.   ACCIONA Cultura was responsible for lighting Ramses, illuminating the Grand Stairs and its statues, and shaping the luminous atmosphere of the Tutankhamun Gallery. The aim was to reveal the scale and detail of the statue without glare, harsh shadows, or visual noise, and to create a gentle progression of light as visitors ascend and descend the atrium. All fixtures are integrated into the architecture and precisely aimed so that faces are never dazzled, contrasts remain balanced and the route stays clear for all visitors.   This work involved on-site tests, mock-ups and constant adjustments to balance natural and artificial light, control reflections on stone and glass, and ensure that these spaces become calm, legible environments. #ACCIONACultura #GEM #GrandEgyptianMuseum #Ramses #LightingDesign #ExhibitionDesign

When visitors walk through the Tutankhamun gallery at The Grand Egyptian Museum, they are guided as much by the words on the walls as by the objects in the cases. Names, stories and hieroglyphs mark each step of the journey, helping to frame what they see.   All of these texts and graphics were applied using silk screen printing, pressing ink through fine mesh templates straight onto steel and stone. The result is that every line of text is part of the architecture itself: durable, precise and seamlessly aligned with the six-metrewalls and surrounding showcases.   For ACCIONA Cultura, this technique is another expression of craftsmanship: treating information, signage and graphics with the same care as the objects they describe. #ACCIONACultura #GEM #GrandEgyptianMuseum #CultureInnovation #MuseumInnovation

It has been an inspiring week at the 27th International Council of Museums (ICOM) General Conference in Dubai —the first time this global gathering has taken place in this city, marking an important milestone for the region’s cultural landscape. Over the past days, we’ve immersed ourselves in conversations that reflect the pulse of our sector today: how museums can generate a deeper dialogue with their communities, how young generations are reshaping expectations around cultural experiences, and how institutions are reimagining their role across different disciplines and sectors. The exchanges around accessibility, technology, education, and audience development have given us fresh perspectives and ideas to inspire our future projects. One of our highlights was the International Committees Day at the Etihad Museum, where our colleague Nathalie Simon represented us by presenting our project ART MASTERS: A Virtual Reality Experience. This opportunity allowed us to share how immersive storytelling can help visitors connect with iconic masterpieces, create emotional bridges, and offer entry points for younger audiences. Thank you, International Council of Museums (ICOM) Dubai, for an unforgettable edition and for creating a space where museum professionals from around the world could meet, learn from one another, and imagine the future of cultural engagement together.

At The Grand Egyptian Museum, much of our work happens in the space between the object and the visitor, in the materials, textures and details that quietly hold everything together.   In the Tutankhamun gallery, bronze plays a central role in the design. Drawing on its historic use in ancient Egyptian statuary, it appears in the cloud-like mesh ceiling that softens and warms the light, in the free-standing membrane walls that divide the showcases, and in the foil-like finishes that frame some of the gallery’s most important pieces, including Tutankhamun’s mask. Special meshes, sourced and developed specifically for this project, help control how light passes through the space and how visitors perceive depth, contrast and texture.   Behind these elements lies an intense level of craft, and for ACCIONA Cultura, this is what craftsmanship means: using material, light and engineering with care so that culture can be experienced with greater intimacy, dignity and emotion. #ACCIONACultura #GEM #GrandEgyptianMuseum #CultureInnovation #MuseumInnovation

At The Grand Egyptian Museum, we set out to bring heritage closer to everyone. Guided by principles of universal design, we used 3D scanning and photogrammetry to create tactile replicas, scale models, and Braille signage - allowing visitors with visual impairments to touch the past. Developed in collaboration with our partners and accessibility experts, these resources offer a new way to experience culture through touch, memory, and detail. They support the museum’s vision of being a place where culture is accessible to all. At ACCIONA Cultura, this is how we understand technology: as a tool to expand access, inclusivity, enhance the visitor experience, and help museums fulfil their social mission. This is where culture becomes truly democratic. #ACCIONACultura #GEM #GrandEgyptianMuseum #CultureInnovation #MuseumInnovation #MuseumAccessibility

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), the largest archaeological museum in the world, has just opened its doors, and at ACCIONA Cultura we are proud to have helped shape since 2018 a new exhibition experience that is set to become a global benchmark for heritage and cultural innovation. A shape that can only emerge when we design museum experiences that endure in visitors’ memories and create a culture that transforms. The path to achieving this lies in innovation and in offering every visitor the best possible experience. Guided by this purpose, we were responsible for the technical development and exhibition installation of some of the museum’s most iconic spaces: the Grand Hall, the Grand Staircase and the Tutankhamun Galleries. In the latter, we carried out 3D scanning and photogrammetry of the king’s sarcophagus in the Valley of the Kings, enabling its physical reproduction in the museum. The galleries will also display, for the first time, the pharaoh’s complete collection of around 4,000 objects. We have also equipped the Grand Egyptian Museum with solutions that promote universal accessibility to its content: adapted routes for visitors with reduced mobility, as well as tactile replicas, reliefs, scale models and Braille information for visitors with visual impairments. The Grand Egyptian Museum marks the opening to the world of a new way of experiencing history and memory, and ultimately of reimagining the spaces that preserve them: museums. At ACCIONA Cultura, we are honoured to have helped make it a reality. Discover in this image gallery, and in our next posts, a glimpse into the immense work behind this project. #ACCIONACultura #GEM #GrandEgyptianMuseum #CultureInnovation #MuseumInnovation #MuseumAccessibility