Arabtec and its joint venture partners Constructora San Jose and Oger Abu Dhabi won the AED 2.4bn (£405m) contract following a competitive tendering process.
The 64,000m2Louvre Abu Dhabi is conceived as a complex of pavilions, plazas, alleyways and canals, evoking the image of a city floating on the sea. Hovering over the complex will be a shallow dome some 180m in diameter, perforated with interlaced patterns so that diffused light will filter through. The museum is set to open in the Saadiyat Cultural District in 2015.
Arabtec and its partners will begin construction work immediately, with the museum’s concrete frame to be completed by the first quarter of 2014. Work on the dome will be completed by the end of 2014. The final stage includes marine works and removal of temporary land platforms which will be completed in 2015.
Mubarak Hamad Al Muhairi, director general of TCA Abu Dhabi and managing director of TDIC, said: “The construction phase of the Louvre Abu Dhabi is an important milestone in the museum’s life as it celebrates the significant work that has been achieved in the development of the cultural programme of the Louvre Abu Dhabi and its art collection. This new landmark project will earn international appreciation for its distinctive design and collection with artworks of historical and sociological significance.”
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