tangerine sets Revival Vision for the Grand Egyptian Museum User Experience

Press Release, 11 November 2025 – For Immediate Release

After decades of extraordinary ambition, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)—the world’s largest archaeological museum dedicated to a single civilisation—has officially opened its doors on the edge of the Giza Plateau. Home to more than 50,000 artefacts, including the monumental 83-ton statue of Ramesses II and the 4,500-year-old Khufu solar boat, GEM stands as a global landmark of cultural revival and future-facing design.

The building was designed by Dublin-based Heneghan Peng Architects, who won the project in an international competition in 2003, with engineering by Arup and Buro Happold, the museum’s journey spans decades of vision, commitment and resilience. Construction began in 2012, with the opening originally slated for 2018. Political and economic challenges, along with the Covid-19 pandemic, led to delays, resulting in a partial opening in 2024 and a full public debut on 1 November 2025.

tangerine’s role: bringing a cultural masterpiece to life

UK design consultancy tangerine is proud to announce its contribution to this monumental cultural project. Commissioned by Hassan Allam Holding—who are appointed to manage and activate the 10,000sq/m GEM site, including museum operations and hospitality—tangerine was tasked with defining the end-to-end visitor experience and crafting an actionable blueprint to guide daily operations and engagement.

tangerine’s work focused on activating the site for operational readiness, shaping how guests encounter, interpret and enjoy the museum and its surrounding amenities from the moment they arrive.

A vision of Revival

tangerine’s experience vision, Revival, celebrates Egypt’s extraordinary heritage while projecting a modern, meaningful and inclusive cultural future. It is built on four emotional experience modes:

• Relive – bringing ancient stories to life
• Refresh – opportunities to have downtime, reenergise and refuel
• Relax – calming moments for rest and reflection
• Re-engage – reconnecting with culture, community and curiosity

Grounded in extensive user research and benchmarking of the world’s leading cultural institutions, the outcome is a comprehensive visitor experience blueprint and design manual that shapes every touchpoint across the GEM site.

 

A new global cultural destination

The GEM site extends beyond its iconic architecture and collection, offering thematic gardens, dining, retail, cinema, family facilities, co-working spaces and educational and event venues. The experience positions GEM not only as a world-class museum, but as an everyday cultural and social destination for Egyptians and international visitors alike.

“Our ambition was to craft an experience that cultivates wonder and fosters deep emotional connection to Egypt’s unparalleled heritage,” said Geraint Edwards, Chief Growth Officer and Project Director for GEM at tangerine.

“Visitors will relive ancient stories, pause in moments of calm, and reconnect with culture in ways that feel personal and unforgettable. This has been a visionary challenge and working alongside Hassan Allam and the teams in Egypt has been a privilege. GEM redefines what a museum can be — not only honouring the past but shaping a dynamic cultural future for Egypt and the world.”

Merette Elsayed, Group Chief Commercial Officer at Hassan Allam Holding, said of working with tangerine, “I‘d actually been struggling to understand what is meant by ‘Customer experience‘, but I now fully understand it and value the input of consultants who can map out a vision for it and truly shape a person’s experience when visiting a place.”

The Grand Egyptian Museum marks a milestone in global culture; a place where history and innovation meet. Today, the world steps not only into history — but into the future of cultural experience design.

Find out more about the GEM User Experience Design Story here

 

Press Contact

Interviews and imagery available on request.
Laurie Bushe, Associate Director – Marketing and Comms
laurie@tangerine.net

About tangerine

tangerine is a strategic design consultancy that helps companies make creative leaps to design innovative products, services, and experiences. The consultancy has studios in London and Seoul and has been working for over three decades with globally renowned brands such as Apple, British Airways, Nikon, Innisfree, Johnson & Johnson, LG, and Toyota. tangerine is internationally recognised as a leader in customer experience design and has worked extensively with major global brands, including retailers, manufacturers, and service providers. www.tangerine.net