The unprecedented project located in Kenya’s Rift Valley
is designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, Studio Libeskind, the master plan architect of the World Trade
Center site.
Ngaren is the culmination of Dr. Leakey’s life’s work –whose fossil discoveries have helped reveal how
humans evolved. The Museum will be the first center 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, to war, disease, and climate change.
“Ngaren is not just another museum, but a call to action,” says Dr. Richard Leakey, Founder. “As we peer
back through the fossil record, through layer upon layer of long extinct species, many of which thrived
far longer that the human species is ever likely to do, we are reminded of our mortality as a species,”
added Leakey.
Dr. Leakey commissioned Studio Libeskind to create an iconic design that reflects the mission and values
of the Museum. Sited on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Rift Valley—the cradle of humankind and
where Leakey first discovered the most complete skeleton of early man, Turkana Boy. The design is
inspired by the forms of ancient hand axes that were the first tools of early man marking the beginnings
of human ingenuity. The 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. Through the architecture and
exhibitions, Ngaren will anchor all walks of life to Africa: the epicenter of human existence,” said
architect Daniel Libeskind. “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 artifacts, but enhances and enlivens them,” added Libeskind.
The museum is scheduled to open in 2024 in Loodariak, Kenya. Studio Libeskind, working with local
Kenyan architects, is the lead architect for the design and construction of the museum.
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