Opened to great fanfare in March 2019, the Jean Nouvel–designed National Museum of Qatar, in Doha, boasts a permanent gallery that narrates the ecological and cultural history of the region, with freestanding artifacts, dioramas and video projections. To put the proper focus on this unprecedented content, the lighting specialists at Licht Kunst Licht opted for a deft combination of soft, diffuse bulbs embedded in the ceiling, along with a versatile array of narrowly targeted display lights, each tailored to a specific detail. Freestanding pieces were flooded with overhead light but otherwise surrounded by darkness, while vitrines were lit up by a complex array of modular spotlights and linear tubes. The scheme carefully channels light both to emphasize key features and to avoid clashing with the multimedia displays on the walls. The result is a highly coordinated, intricate system that guides visitors’ attention so effectively they barely notice it.

Location Doha, Qatar Firm Licht Kunst Licht, Germany Team Andreas Schulz with Daniela Torres Toledo, Laura Sudbrock, Stephanie Grosse-Brockhoff and Martina Weiss