The construction work at the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum is progressing well and is on track for  likely handover by the first half of 2016, said a senior official.

The project has reached an advanced stage with the completed dome’s ‘rain of light’ effect, as envisioned by Louvre Abu Dhabi’s architect Jean Nouvel, and the installation work of 30,000 sq  m of natural stone paving, said Ali Majed Al Mansoori, the chairman of Tourism Development & Investment Company’s (TDIC).

"We are also pleased to observe that the museum’s construction continues to be on track, and we expect to handover the building in mid-2016," stated Al Mansoori.

He was speaking in the presence of Tourism & Culture Authority Abu Dhabi chairman Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak after hosting a special tour of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s construction site for former french President Nicolas Sarkozy.
 
The delegation, which included senior representatives from TDIC and TCA Abu Dhabi, a member of the French Parliament and representatives from the French Embassy in Abu Dhabi, witnessed the museum’s advanced construction work.

“We are honoured to welcome Sarkozy to Louvre Abu Dhabi’s construction site, where he was given the opportunity to experience the museum’s design come to life and observe the wondrous ‘rain of light’ effect of its iconic dome, which will attract art lovers and visitors from across the world," said Al Mansoori.

"We are also pleased to observe that the museum’s construction continues to be on track, and we expect to handover the building in mid-2016," he added.

Louvre Abu Dhabi’s construction was awarded to an Arabtec-led joint venture with Constructora San Jose and Oger Abu Dhabi in 2013.

Once completed, the museum will feature permanent galleries, a temporary gallery, a children’s museum and an auditorium, in addition to a rich array of artworks, which visitors can admire across 9,200 sq m of display space.-TradeArabia News Service