Dome cladding of Abu Dhabi Louvre progresses

Abu Dhabi: Developing the external cladding of the Abu Dhabi Louvre dome is in the advanced stages.

The Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), responsible for developing the cultural site in Al Saadiyat made this announcement during a tour made by the architectural designer of the museum, Jean Nouvel, who is the winner of the Pritzker Prize.

The cladding of the dome, which consists of eight layers — four inner and four outer layers, is considered one of the most important stages in the construction process. This stage gives the final form to the museum’s exterior as well as forming a “beam of light” which allows sunlight to enter the galleries.

To date, 30 per cent of the cladding work has been processed and it is expected to be fully completed in the month of June.

The architectural engineering of cladding the dome has been inspired by overlapping fronds of palm trees that were used in roof tops of traditional UAE houses.

The complex shape of the dome was the result of a deliberate engineering design within the varied sizes and angles, giving the effect of what is known as the ‘light beam’.

The cladding layers covering the dome consist of 7,850 pieces made of aluminium and stainless steel, the largest of which weighs 1.3 tonnes, bringing the total weight of all the materials used in the form of stars to 2,000 tonnes within eight layers.

Ali Majid Al Mansouri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TDIC, said, “We are pleased to see the development of the Abu Dhabi Louvre Museum operations going according to plan. We are also pleased to work closely with architect Jean Nouvel to ensure the implementation of important technical stages smoothly to get what we aspire to in the end.”

He also pointed out that the cladding of the dome is one of the most important stages that gives the museum its final shape and forms what is known as the light beam.