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Louvre Abu Dhabi, world-class architectural icon built by SANJOSE
11/11/2017
Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, designed by Pritzker Jean Nouvel and built by SANJOSE in a joint venture with Arabtec, is a spectacular and modern floating city that unites local tradition with avant-garde architecture.
The museum is crowned by a grand aluminum and stainless steel dome that has become the symbol of the institution. A symbol and a constructive challenge for SANJOSE for its size and its complex execution.
The dome is a traditional Arab element used to soften the climatic conditions of the region. The dome surrounding the Louvre is a 21st century construction, of modern aesthetics, which anticipates the future and with dimensions never seen before: 180 meters in diameter, 36 meters in height at its highest point and approximately 7,500 tons of steel (practically the same as the Eiffel Tower) that are supported only by four support points that have been carefully hidden inside the museum buildings, creating the illusion that the entire dome is suspended in the air.
This unique structure is composed of eight layers of a geometric pattern that resembles a network or tissue, through which sunlight enters, generating a particular effect similar to the rays that are filtered by the leaves of palm trees. To obtain this spectacular effect that pervades the entire site and that Jean Nouvel has called "rain of light" 8,000 pieces known as stars have been used.
Only 4,680 of these stars have been installed in the exterior cladding, of which 3,821 are unique in shape and size.
Below the dome are more than 64,000 square meters of built surface between the sand and the sea. A building complex consisting of 55 low-rise geometric buildings, pavilions, squares, corridors and covered channels that transport visitors to an ancient Arab city of 9,200 square meters of art galleries.
Demanding sustainability criteria, energy efficient solutions and innovative construction systems have been incorporated in the execution of this project, specially designed for protection of structures, waterproofing, stability of environmental conditions, control of light, humidity and temperature in order to allow the optimal conservation of art pieces and the comfort of visitors.
One of the great attractions of the Louvre Abu Dhabi is the experience of touring this complex. You enjoy both its exterior and interior architecture. The impressive galleries offer visitors windows to the sea, to the sky and to the exterior patios.
In addition to the 23 art galleries, the museum has a space for temporary exhibitions, an interactive museum for children, a 200-seat auditorium, a restaurant, a cafeteria and a commercial space.
Louvre Abu Dhabi is a museum where all cultures have a place. In its interior, pieces of prehistoric origin are shown close to contemporary works of art all in chronological order. According to the director, Manuel Rabaté, "visitors can walk through time", and "connect works and emphasise our common values. It becomes the “first universal museum”.
From now on you can admire more than 700 artworks, many belonging to the Louvre Abu Dhabi itself but many of them are been borrowed from major museums like the Louvre in Paris, the Orsay Museum or the Pompidou Centre. Among the artists present on its walls, among others: Da Vinci, Van Gogh, Monet and Picasso, etc. Useful Information Ten years after the intergovernmental agreement between France and Abu Dhabi you can now admire the Louvre Abu Dhabi designed by Jean Nouvel, the first of five planned museums that will turn the UAE into a new cultural centre. In the same Saadiyat Island where this museum is located, the world's largest Guggenheim designed by Frank Gehry, the National Zayed Museum designed by Norman Foster, the Maritime Museum of Tadao Ando and the Performing Arts Centre designed by the late Zaha Hadid will be built in the near future. Louvre Abu Dhabi has been awarded:
The new museum Louvre Abu Dhabi opens its doors on 11th November. It is a journey through the history of art and a commitment to show the artistic influences between different cultures and eras. The objective is to turn the museum into a source between Asia, Africa and Europe, becoming a permanent relevant place for culture and, therefore, for world tourism.
- "Project of the Future 2015" Prize granted in the first edition of the "Identity Design Award" that recognises projects under construction that establish the United Arab Emirates as the centre of world architecture.
- "Green Building Award" for environmental excellence in the "Green Middle East Awards 2013"
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