Abu Dhabi government makes space for an engaging Children’s Library

A brand new library spanning three floors housing a theatre space alongside, is slated to open on September 4 to regale children at the Al Hosn’s Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi [DCT Abu Dhabi] had announced on 11^th June, 2018, their plans to open a children’s library as a part of the refurbished Al Hosn’s Cultural Foundation which will provide entertaining and educational space for children.

The facility is spread over 5,250 square meters across three floors. Each floor will be furnished with age-appropriate social spaces that are inspired by pop-up books and the diverse landscapes of UAE which will provide interactive play spaces where the young visitors can become a part of the story.

The first floor will be designed as a desert with sand dunes and artificial camels that children can climb on. The second floor is an oasis landscape with a water channel flowing through the facility and a wide range of books spanning from fiction and graphic novels to autobiographies. There will also be a ‘Book Mountain’ at the center of the facility.

Children will be offered holistic educational experience via STREAM [science, technology, reading, engineering, arts and mathematics] programming, workshops and exhibitions. They will be encouraged to interact with one other and at the same time, there will be multiple quiet zones for concentrated reading.

The Cultural Foundation is also going to renovate their 900-seat theater which will showcase contemporary and modern performing arts ranging through music, dance and theater. The theater will host many upcoming events with performances by the Naseer Shamma and the 2350 BC Orchestra, the ‘Artist of Arabs’ Mohammad Abdo, One Hundred and One Nights by the Caracalla Dance Theater and a special performance by Emirati pop-star Mehad Hamad.

In a conversation with Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, by The National Arts and Culture, he said: “The completion of its refurbishment marks a new chapter for the emirate’s cultural scene, and it is our hope that the addition of the Abu Dhabi Children’s Library and the renovation of the theater will empower our society, through the tools of education, professional development and artistic expression, for many years to come.

“In an environment that utilizes edutainment and effective ways of learning, these two major new components will contribute greatly towards our mission of establishing the Al Hosn site as a significant cultural destination which engages residents and visitors alike.”