Studio Libeskind has unveiled details of Ngaren: The Museum for Humankind, a museum dedicated to the story of humans to be situated in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya.

Commissioned by paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey, the museum will be the culmination of Dr Leakey’s work, whose fossil discoveries have helped to reveal how humans evolved. The Museum will be the first centre of its kind to present research, discovery, and exploration of more than two million years of human history and the origins of our universe from evolution, biodiversity, overpopulation, war, disease and climate change.

The scheme is situated on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Rift Valley, the cradle of civilisation where Dr Leakey first discovered the most complete skeleton of early man, Turkana Boy. The design is inspired by ancient hand axes that were the first tools of early man marking the beginnings of human ingenuity.

The museum’s monolithic volumes rise like vertical stalactite set against the dramatic landscape of greater Nairobi in Loodariak. Through a series of interactive, cutting-edge exhibition spaces, Ngaren will unravel the mysteries of our beginnings.

“The museum will be a place for discovery, wonder and contemplation,” said architect Daniel Libeskind. “Through the architecture and exhibitions, Ngaren will anchor all walks of life to Africa: the epicentre of human existence. I created a series of dramatic spaces within the museum that are architecturally dynamic and provocative, creating a unique context for the museum’s exhibitions that does not pacify artefacts, but enhances and enlivens them.” 

The museum is scheduled to open in 2024, designed in collaboration with local Kenyan architects. 

Via ArchDaily | Images © MAQE