julien lanoo captures jean nouvel's national museum of qatar as series of rich compositions

known for his documentation of architecture across the world, photographer julien lanoo pays homage to jean nouvel in his photo series of the national museum of qatar. the photographer captures the building’s monumental form which expresses inspiration by the naturally-occurring ‘desert rose.’ the museum, which opened its doors to the public on march 28, 2019, gives voice to the nation’s rich heritage, while celebrating its future. 

all images by julien lanoo

photographer julien lanoo captures atelier jean nouvel’s completed national museum of qatar with its intricate cluster of massive plate-like geometries. the ‘desert rose’ condition which served to influence the formal design, occurs naturally within the gulf region when minerals crystallize in the crumbling soil just below the surface of a shallow salt basin. this feature of the desertous landscape became the model for the museum’s complex structure of discs, each with its own diameter and curvature. through his photo series lanoo portrays this unique and expressive structure, with its monumental scale, as an artful composition with a rich depth of delicately folded angles and soft shadows.

in photographing jean nouvel’s national museum of qatar, lanoo conveys the massive scale of the structure’s iconic discs. integrating the human scale among the largely vertical images serve to emphasize the near-otherworldly experience of visitors to the museum. with fractured surfaces cantilevering overhead a sweeping plaza, the photographer reveals the contextual influence of the structure which recalls a dry, desertous landscape condition.

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project info:

project title: architecture photo series of the national museum of qatar

photographer: julien lanoo

location: doha, qatar

architecture: jean nouvel

interior design: koichi takada architects