Abu Dhabi's history is tied to its development. As the capital and second most populated city of the United Arab Emirates, it has radically transformed in recent decades. Planned under the guidance of Sheikh Zayed by Japanese architect Katsuhiko Takahashi in 1967, Abu Dhabi has become an epicenter of cultural exchange and commercial activity. Between rapid development and urbanization, the city's architecture reflects global trends alongside new building methods.
Luc Boegly & Sergio Grazia
Architecture and Design Post-Pandemic: 18 Museums and Exhibitions that have Reopened to the Public
After being shut down for more than a year, museums across the world are beginning to show signs of reopening. Most architecture and design events that were scheduled for 2020 have been pushed a year or two, depending on the severity of the pandemic in their respective regions. But while museums are open to the public once again, administrators have installed numerous precaution measures to ensure the safety of visitors and curators, and to avoid potential re-closures.
As international travels have been revived by government officials, and tourism is expected to recover gradually, read on to discover 18 museums and exhibitions that have begun welcoming visitors into their exhibition spaces as of May 2021, and the procedures required from the attendees before and during visitations.
#donotsettle Provides a Close-Up Look at Jean Nouvel's Louvre Abu Dhabi
In this video, architecture vloggers #donotsettle take us inside Ateliers Jean Nouvel's "museum city" in the sea: the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Filmed one month after the museum’s opening in November, Kris Provoost winds his way through the galleries to the much-talked-about mega-dome—with a diagrammatic key plan in the bottom corner of the video helping us to follow his path.
The Engineering Behind the Louvre Abu Dhabi's Striking Geometric Dome
Walking into Abu Dhabi’s new Louvre Museum, one is immediately greeted by a flood of dappled light created by the stunning, multi-layered lattice covering the interweaving interior spaces of the building. The intricate geometric dome is both reminiscent of traditional Arabic architecture screens and crucial in achieving Architect’s Jean Nouvel’s vision for a “rain of light.” But what went into the design and construction of the building’s most striking element, and how does it function structurally? Ateliers Jean Nouvel worked for over one year in close collaboration with BuroHappold Engineering to develop a design which is both an architectural and structural masterpiece. We spoke with Andy Pottinger, Associate Director at BuroHappold, to understand the dome in more depth.
Louvre Abu Dhabi / Ateliers Jean Nouvel
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Architects: Ateliers Jean Nouvel
- Area: 97000 m²
- Year: 2017
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Professionals: Artefactory, Arup, Transsolar, Buro Happold, JND, +4
The Design Museum of London / OMA + Allies and Morrison + John Pawson
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Architects: Allies and Morrison, John Pawson, OMA
- Area: 110000 ft²
- Year: 2016
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Manufacturers: Goppion, Troldtekt, The Splash Lab