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Louvre Abu Dhabi takes shape as a work of art in the workscultural landmark is on target for completion by the fourth quarter of 2015

Abu DhAbi

Some 20 months from now, the Louvre Abu Dhabi will open its doors, capping an am-bitious project that will

create a landmark on Saadiyat Island, place the capital firmly at the centre of the art world — and see a modern architectural and technical wonder rise over-looking the city’s skyline.

By the fourth quarter of next year, people will have a chance to walk in the floating Louvre Museum, the Tourism Develop-ment and Investment Company (TDIC) said yesterday.

A year after intense plan-ning, engineering and mobili-sation on the ground, the Lou-vre Abu Dhabi has moved from a construction ditch seven me-tres deep to first gallery above ground. It’s a major milestone in the project’s history.

But officials aren’t saying how much the project is cost-ing.

When asked about the es-timated budget spent on the construction, Jasem Al Ham-madi, director of infrastruc-ture at TDIC, said: “We can’t confirm the amount of money spent on constructing the Lou-vre museum, as it needs addi-tional requirements every day, especially when work for con-struction is under way.”

When completed, the Louvre will be home to an unrivalled collection.

Officials are already buying for the displays. The pieces, artworks and sculptures which will be displayed in the mu-seum’s galleries, are from all the different civilisations and the region, enabling visitors to discover shared influences and connections between cultures around the globe.

“Around 300 artworks have been acquired so far,” Hessa Al Daheri, project manager of

Louvre Abu Dhabi, said. “The collection will constantly grow.”

Concrete pouredThe majority of the concrete

work for the museum’s base-ment levels has been poured, including a highly secure seven-metre-deep basement through which authorised ve-hicles will transport all the art-work for the museum.

“More than 10 million work-ing hours have been dedicated to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, re-flecting the amount of foun-dation work that the museum requires,” Ali Al Hammadi, deputy managing director at TDIC, said.

“Despite the challenging and complicated design, construc-tion of the ground has been progressing steadily and on schedule.”

By Sara Sabry Staff Reporter

abdul Rahman/Gulf news

Going up■■ the main dome of the Louvre abu Dhabi is beginning to take shape. Yesterday, the tourism

Development and investment Company said the project should be finished in 20 months.

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Source: TDIC Hugo A. Sanchez, Mick O’Reilly/©Gulf News

The Zayed National Museum

The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

The Performing Arts Centre

Louvre Abu Dhabi

� Saadiyat Cultural District is set to become an internationally renowned arts hub, featuring the Zayed National Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Performing Arts Centre. Construction of the iconic Louvre building designed by Jean Nouvel on Saadiyat Island is 20 months from completion. The Museography design is currently in progress.

Saadiyat projects on trackISLAND OF DREAMS

Louvre timeline

Quick dome facts

May 2009: Ground breaking for the museum

March 2014: Construction completed for the rst permanent gallery

January 2010: The rst package of enabling works, executed by Bauer International, was completed a�er 503,000 cubic metres of earth had been excavated to accommodate the museum basement. The Louvre Abu Dhabi achieved major developmental milestones with the nishing of the building’s detailed design and the completion of its infrastructure, which encompassed marine, excavation, pilling and substructure works. More than 4,000 steel and reinforced concrete piles — a total volume of 21,000 cubic metres of concrete — were driven into the ground to serve as a base fro the Louvre building.

January 2013: TDIC awarded the construction of the Louvre Abu Dhabi to Arabtec-led joint venture with Constructora San Jose SA and Oger Abu Dhabi LLC. Work on the geometric lace dome will be completed by the end of 2014. The nal construction stage, including marine works and the removal of temporary land platforms, will be completed in 2015.

May 2013: A double-layer waterproong membrane was installed below the foundation slab areas. That step is taken a�er the 3,200 steel piles located in the museum’s build-up site are given a special electrical charge that prevents steel corrosion using a system known as cathodic protection. Completion of three massive foundations piers each measuring 16 by 16 metres that form the base of the dome support towers. This is to ensure that they will be able to hold up the museum’s iconic dome.

July 2013: Louvre Abu Dhabi achieved a Three Pearl Design Rating Certicate, awarded by the Urban Planning Council (UPC) as part of its Estidama Pearl Building Rating System. This is the �rst certi�cate to be provided for a cultural development of this scope and design in the region.

December 2013: the rst super-sized dome element was raised into place. As construction progresses towards the dome’s centre, a 1,600-capacity crane is being used in this process. Each of the dome’s 85 segments weighs between 30 to 70 tonnes and is built from over 100 square steel tubes, ve to seven metres long and ve metres deep, which are joined together in repetitive horizontal vertical and diagonal pattern.

April 2013: The museum witnessed the rst concrete pour of 800 cubic concrete metres for one of the four piers that are to hold up its iconic dome. The dome, which has a diameter of 180 metres and is expected to weigh more than 7,000 tonnes — almost the weight of the Ei�el Tower — will be supported by four points only. The dome will rest nine metres high at the entrance of the museum and will reach up to 30 metres high on the inside.

Once completed, the 180-metre wide dome will feature three layers: a steel frame and an eight-metre thick aluminium lattice above and below it, which will create the ‘rain of light’ e�ect that o�ers shade and a comfortable micro-climate for visitors. Upon completion, the temporary towers will be removed and the dome, which is made up of a total of 10,800 square steel tubes, will rest upon the museum’s four main pillars.

Steel frameAluminium laticeabove

Aluminium laticebelow

To date 20 per cent of the dome’s structure has been put in place, with the completion of the full structural steel frame set for September 2014Total canopy weight is 12,000 tonnes, which is broken down into the following:

Steel structure weight: 7,000 tonnes-weighing almost as much as the Ei�el Tower

Aluminium cladding weight: 5000 tonnes

Length: 180 metres- the length of two football pitches

Circumference: 565.5 metres

Highest point: 38m

� Number of super-sized elements that makes the dome: 85

� Number of temporary towers required to support each super-sized element while it is lowered into place: 4

� Number of temporary towers in place during construction: 120

� Number of permanent piers holding dome a�er its completion: 4, each is 125 metres apart

� Number of trucks used to transport the crane: 90 trucks

� Maximum number of workers on dome at any time: 8,000

� Li�ing weight capacity of super-sized cranes used on site: 1,600 tonnes

� Height of 1,600 tonne capacity crane: 230 metres

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Abu Dhabi

Saadiyat

The Zayed National MuseumAt the heart of the Saadiyat Cultural District, the museum will tell the story of the UAE through the life and person of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, father of the nation.

The Guggenheim Abu DhabiThe building will be a pre-eminent platform for global contemporary art and culture that will present the most important artistic achievements of our time.

The Performing Arts CentreThe centre will be a home for all forms of artistic performance, set within the contours of Zaha Hadid’s organic design, in the second phase of development at Saadiyat Cultural District.