The Public Interior Space Within Louvre Abu Dhabi Dome: A Visual Reflection

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Issue Vol. 4 No. 2 (2021)
Published Jul 31, 2021
Section Articles
Article downloads 1033
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7454/in.v4i2.154
Submitted : Mar 30, 2021 | Accepted : Jul 18, 2021
Karim Musfy
Zayed University, UAE
karim.musfy@zu.ac.ae
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4690-0285
Marco Sosa
Zayed University, UAE
marco.sosa@zu.ac.ae
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5807-2088
Lina Ahmad
Zayed University, UAE
lina.ahmad@zu.ac.ae
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8236-6978

Abstract

What defines an interior space? Is a traditional threshold the only building element considered as a clear component demarcating interiority from the outside environment? Could light or water be just as clear? How can scale challenge the identification of an internal space? Is a living space more identifiable as an interior volume? What about an internal courtyard for a family house outlining the beginning of a nation or the opposite extreme in the time-space continuum, a 24,000 square meters domed roof over a series of intimate spaces establishing a nation’s cultural intention internationally? Can a central space act as a gravitational point to other space fragments and elements? Can the ephemerality of the space bind it together in a unique, memorable encounter?

We set ourselves to answer these questions using different phenomenological responses methods including digital video, photography, drawings, and architectural observations. All depict different layered trajectories through the segments of the architectural strata that compose a cultural enclosure, such as Jean Nouvel’s Louvre Abu Dhabi. As we transverses through space and time, we use regional typologies to create a timeline spectrum connecting regional context, culture and architecture, attempting to emphasise the interiority qualities of the space under the dome.

Keywords: interiority, space in flux, interior-exterior, public space, animated interior

Article Details

How to Cite
Musfy, K., Sosa, M., & Ahmad, L. (2021). The Public Interior Space Within Louvre Abu Dhabi Dome: A Visual Reflection. Interiority, 4(2), 159–180. https://doi.org/10.7454/in.v4i2.154
Author Biographies

Karim Musfy, Zayed University, UAE

Karim Musfy is a seasoned executive and a professor with over 20 years of international experience in academia, consultancy, and development. Currently an Assistant Professor at Zayed University, Karim has worked with several design consultancy firms including KEO in Abu Dhabi, SOM, and Perkins & Will in New York managing large-scale projects.  He also worked with leading developers, overseeing global projects collectively worth circa USD 30 Billion. Karim started his career in architecture with Eisenman Architects in NY, then managed his own practice in Beirut while serving at the American University of Beirut for a period of 8 years and the American University of Sharjah for a year. Karim holds a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University. Reference to his work was mentioned in publications including A+U, El Croquis, and Eisenman Architect’s publications Diagram Diaries and Selected and Current Works.

Marco Sosa, Zayed University, UAE

Marco Sosa is an architect, Associate Professor and the Chair of Design at the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises (CACE), Zayed University, Abu Dhabi. Sosa has over 10 years of experience working as an architect in the UK. He has a postgraduate diploma in Architecture (tutored by Florian Beigel, Adam Caruso and Peter StJohn), and a MA (with merits) on Architecture of Rapid Change and Scarce Resources under the tutorship of Professor Maurice Mitchell, all completed at London Metropolitan University. He is a member of the UK’s Architect’s Registration Board and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) since 2002. In 2014, Marco was appointed Head of Design for the First National Pavilion for the UAE at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the exhibition was titled Lest We Forget; Structures of Memory in the UAE.  Sosa has published various academic papers and presented at various conferences around the world.

Lina Ahmad, Zayed University, UAE

Lina Ahmad holds a Master from the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London. She has over 10 years of UAE professional experience working across different sectors and project stages; ranging between design work from proposing alternate schemes to detailing and executing architectural packages and participating in projects’ execution and site supervision. Prior to joining academia, Lina held the position of project design team leader at BDP MENA consultancy office in Abu Dhabi. Lina is an Associate Professor and the Assistant Chair at the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, Zayed University. Her work has been awarded and exhibited, and she has published various academic papers and presented at a number of regional and international conferences.

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