Heritage House Museums show Qatar's history through AV techniques

The technical development and execution of the museum project of the Heritage Houses-Museum in Doha has been carried out by Acciona Producciones y Diseño, which has provided the four buildings with various immersive and interactive techniques that help in the historical reconstruction of the history of Qatar.

Last week the Heritage Houses-Museum in Doha was inaugurated (Qatar), a complex, owned by Qatar Foundation, made up of four traditional Qatari houses from the early 20th century, rehabilitated to house two thematic museums.

The four museums occupy almost 3.000 square meters distributed among the four traditional houses, each of which is dedicated to a theme in the history of Qatar during the 20th century, since slavery in the region, even the role of oil in the area, passing through local traditions and iconic elements of daily life such as decoration.

The objective is for these museums to become one of the main attractions of the rehabilitated Msheireb Downtown Doha neighborhood, what, once its remodeling was completed in 2016, will become the government and cultural center of Qatar. This area, in addition to museums, includes residential areas, four government buildings, stores, a hospital and a cultural center that will be completed in 2018.

Bin Jelmood House

The first of these house-museums, denominada Bin Jelmood House, is dedicated to showing the history of slavery from its origins to what still persists today, for which a design marked by the use of audiovisual resources that employ various techniques such as 3D reconstruction has been used., graphic animation, historical reconstruction and filming of real testimonies.

These audiovisual technologies manage to introduce the visitor to an immersive experience through synchronized multi-screens., touch devices, projections that adjust to the architecture of the building and are synchronized with the lighting of the exhibited pieces, etc.

Acciona Productions and Design has been the company in charge of the technical development and execution of this audiovisual project at the museum. In addition, has also created, to complete the exhibition, la Commitment Room, an interactive space where the user can take a photograph to symbolize their rejection of slavery and which is integrated into a mosaic projected on the wall of the room.

Company House

The second of the house-museums is the so-called Company House, which pays tribute to the Qatari workers who were pioneers in the exploitation and extraction of oil in the country.

The museum's contents are structured by images and documents related to the discovery of oil and its early exploitation.. Acciona Productions and Design has included an immersive audiovisual, shot in high resolution, which tells the story of Qatar and its relationship with oil, combining real images, archive and 3D, projected on three screens in the shape of a trapezoid with 3 4K resolution projectors and sound 7.1. Besides, It has a soundtrack specially composed for this audiovisual montage.

Mohammed bin Jassim House/Radwani House

The Mohammed bin Jassim House aims to involve visitors in the history of the Msheireb neighborhood and the ambitious renovation project that is being carried out, for which it uses interactive media and recreations.

Media Dish stands out, a large interactive circular table with overhead projection and eight interaction points that can be activated by the visitor simultaneously or separately.

The projection shows a 3D reconstruction of the model of Msheireb's project, the situation of the buildings, means of transportation, waste collection system, green areas or even the use of alternative energies. Besides, It has a 'teaching' operating mode that allows it to be controlled by a tablet, making it easier for a teacher to explain the project to the students. The room is completed with a projection on the wall with time-lapses of the real evolution of the work.

In the Mohammed bin Jassim House”, Visitors also have a recording booth in which the visitor can record and share their impressions about the urban project and watch the recordings of other visitors..

Finally, The Radwani House recreates a traditional Qatari house using original furniture and decoration typical of the region. Recent archaeological finds are also included in the exhibition..