In the capital of the United Arab Emirates, a unique museum complex called “Louvre Abu Dhabi” has opened its doors.
The complex is located on the island of Saadiyat in the Persian Gulf, designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel.
People compare the facility to a giant beetle with a silver shell or a flying saucer punctured by the wind. The designed museum is only the first part of the puzzle called “cultural region” Saadiyat. The project was initiated by the Emirati authorities on an island as large as a quarter of Paris or 2700 acres and in addition to the Louvre includes: the Zayed National Museum designed by the British Norman Foster, the Maritime Museum by the Japanese Tadao Ando, the Guggenheim-Abu Dhabi by the American Frank Gehry and the Center for the Arts.
The first sod was made by the Frenchman, who stated that he knew Arab architecture well and in exactly 30 years he built the Institute of the Arab World in Paris. According to him, it is based on two basic concepts that represent a special value to him: light and geometry.
The diameter of the museum dome is 180 meters. It consists of 7,850 holes, allowing direct access to sunlight. The light solar rain that comes out through the openings creates an amazing effect. The dome consists of eight metal layers (stainless steel, iron and aluminum) with a total thickness of seven meters. The facility weighs more than the construction of the Eiffel Tower – 7,500 tons.
About 300 masterpieces of art, including works by Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Leodardo da Vinci, etc., are provided by 13 French museums at the Louvre in the Desert. The museum plans to collect another 600 works for its permanent collection , of which 200 will be exhibited for visitors.
64 000 sq.m. is the total area of the museum complex on the island of Saadiyat. The museum itself occupies 8600 sq.m, of which 6400 sq.m are allocated for the permanent collection, 2000 sq.m – for temporary exhibitions and 200 sq.m for the children’s museum. This micro-city consists of 55 separate rooms, 26 of which are for the permanent gallery.
525,000,000 euros will be paid by Arab sheikhs for 30 years for the use of the name “Louvre”.
€561,000,000 is the total amount for the construction of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The value of the project should not have exceeded BGN 83 million. euro, but it has gone out of scope due to the retention of the investment.
Stunning, isn’t it? [:]
