The long-awaited Louvre Abu Dhabi, designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, is getting ready for a grand opening, with images showing the metal-domed building in the final stages of construction. Officially started in 2009, work on the museum is nearly complete, with a rumored opening date scheduled for this November.
The images, posted to Twitter by French ambassador to the UAE Ludovic Pouille following a recent trip to Abu Dhabi, show the building’s 7,700-ton dome as well as some of the interior gallery spaces and the concrete steps leading to the site’s waterfront.
The ambassador was given a private tour of the museum, noting he was “amazed by progress made by great teams working 24/7."
Amazed by progress made by great teams working 24/7 on the @LouvreAbuDhabi 1st Universal Museum of the Century! Opening soon! @FranceEmirats pic.twitter.com/1FF4HM1tIU
— Ludovic Pouille (@ludovic_pouille) August 21, 2017
Learn more about the project below:
In Progress: Louvre Abu Dhabi / Jean Nouvel
21 From the architect. All climates like exceptions. Warmer when it is cold. Cooler in the tropics. People do not resist thermal shock well. Nor do works of art. Such elementary observations have influenced the Louvre Abu Dhabi. It wishes to create a welcoming world serenely combining light and shadow, reflection and calm.
Watch the Louvre Abu Dhabi Perimeter Flood
Earlier this week, the temporary sea wall that had been separating the Louvre Abu Dhabi from the seawater of the Persian Gulf was removed, creating a new harmony between site and structure as envisioned in the original project renderings. The building, which was conceived in 2007 and designed by Jean Nouvel, is set to open later this year.
