For the new complex, a plot of 140 thousand m2 was chosen around the current building of the museum - the palace of the ruling al-Thani dynasty of the early XX century. It will be located at the southern end of Doha's Corniche, near the YM Pei Museum of Islamic Art.
The building of Nouvel will consist of pavilions that encircle the courtyard in an oval ring; the historic palace will also be included in this ring, although the new building will be of the utmost importance in the ensemble. The main motive of the composition is light discs that form the floors and walls of the pavilions. This solution is an allusion to gypsum crystals - "desert roses", which form shallow under the surface of the dunes after rain. This natural phenomenon demonstrates the purpose of the museum: to display and preserve the heritage of the natural, social, cultural and political history of Qatar, which, like other nations descended from Arab nomads, is almost intangible, based on fragile artifacts and a rich oral tradition, even now, during the period economic prosperity and rapid modernization is endangered.
The museum is designed not only for the residents of Qatar (first of all, young people who have a weak connection with their roots), but also for foreigners to whom it is planned to demonstrate that cultural exchange between East and West can and should go in both directions. Another image included in the project is a caravanserai, a center for the exchange of goods and information. This is the most important symbol of the "nation in motion": both in a geographical sense, referring to the lifestyle of nomad Bedouins, and in a temporary sense, relevant to modern Qataris, who are rapidly moving from the past to the future.
The intersecting discs set at an angle to each other form the floors, walls and floors of the pavilions; on the outside they are covered with ocher-colored glass-fiber-reinforced concrete, and their frame consists of steel trusses fanning out from a single center. Additional supports are hidden in the vertical discs. The glazing in the gaps between the discs is protected from the sun's rays by special screens and a deep extension of the ceilings. In the interior, the motif of the disks is also clearly read; the floors are made of polished sand-colored concrete and the walls are covered with artificial marble.
A park will be set up around, where local plants will be planted: pomegranate trees, date palms, various herbs. Landscaping will include sand dunes and terraced gardens.
