The architectural beauty of the Louvre Abu Dhabi art museum will soon complement the incredible works to be housed inside. Designed by the renowned architect Jean Nouvel, the building is currently under construction, located on Saaydiyat Island in the United Arab Emirates. It will be the first global art museum in the Arab world once complete.
As the name might suggest, the Louvre Abu Dhabi is an expansion of the iconic French Louvre. The idea isn’t to recreate the original museum, but to bring together the history and reputation of the Paris location with the rapidly-modernizing Arab Peninsula.
Light plays a large role in this unique building. The domed roof features small, intricate cutouts that allow fractured bits of sunlight to shine through and cast interesting shadows. In addition to the natural rays, there will be Paralum lighting by Luxiona. It’s all accented by strong, rectangular forms that are integral to the interior structure but also appear as a sculptural element, too.
The Lourve Abu Dhabi will occupy 8,000 square feet, with 2,000 of it housing permanent collections while the remaining space will host temporary exhibits. Construction on the site started in 2009 but the opening has been delayed several times. Now, it’s slated for completion sometime this year.
Louvre Abu Dhabi website
Jean Nouvel website
via [Inhabitant]