Local developer Meraas is preparing to tender the contract in September to build the estimated AED500m ($136m) Museum of the Future on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road.

Contractors had been approached about working on the project in May.

Set to open in 2017, the museum will be used to showcase cutting-edge technologies, and with the motto ‘See the future, create the future”, it has been designed to play a leading role in developing a culture of innovation in Dubai and the rest of the UAE.

When launched earlier this year, it was said that part of the structure will be 3D-printed rather than conventionally built.

The concept design was prepared by Shaun Killa, who used to work in Dubai for UK-based Atkins. The engineering consultant is the UK’s Buro Happold.

Located on the corner of the Emirates Towers development on Sheikh Zayed Road, the scheme is part of a larger programme of works undertaken by several developers in the area, which is one of Dubai’s key business districts.

In 2014, Dubai World Trade Centre awarded UAE-based Al-Futtaim Carillion a AED375m contract to build the first phase of the Dubai Trade Centre District (DTCD) which is located between the museum and Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, which is also being expanded.  In March this year, the local Khansaheb Civil Engineering won a contract to build a new multipurpose exhibition hall.

An expansion is also understood to be planned for the Emirates Tower development. The plans, which are still at an early stage, involve expanding the retail centre.

New projects are also planned at the nearby Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC), where new offices and a retail spine are being developed.