01 July 2013

TOURISM Development and Investment Company (TDIC), developer of Louvre Abu Dhabi in the Saadiyat Cultural District, said work to waterproof the museum basements has begun.

This technique marks the start of one of the most critical stages in the construction process whereby a double-layer waterproofing membrane is installed below the foundation slab areas. That step is taken after the 3,200 steel piles located in the museum’s build-up site received cathodic protection that prevents steel corrosion.

The museum’s basement levels are located 7 m below sea level where all the artwork for the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s will be transported through a dedicated and highly secured tunnel that leads to the various galleries located within the museum.

Ali Al Hammadi, deputy managing director of TDIC, master developer of major tourism, cultural and residential destinations in Abu Dhabi, said: “We are delighted with the rapid advancement that has taken place in the museum’s construction during the 600,000 working hours logged so far, including the completion of two sections of the lower basement foundation slab.

“As the museum’s completion date nears, we anticipated more important milestones being achieved, which will highlight the significant efforts made by everyone involved in the development of this iconic project,” he added.

Further milestones achieved by more than 1,400 construction workers on the site to date include the completion of three massive foundations piers, each measuring 16 by 16 m which form the base of the dome support towers, with work already commencing on the fourth. This is to ensure that they will be able to hold up the museum’s 180-m-wide iconic dome, which is expected to weigh more than 7,000 tonnes.

All of this is taking place on the museum’s temporary platform, which was built to allow all works to take place in a dry environment.

Once work is complete, the 14-m-deep concrete walls currently built in the sand will be removed to allow seawater to flow in gradually. The museum, which will then be surrounded by water, will give visitors the illusion that it is gently floating on the sea once it opens in 2015.

Louvre Abu Dhabi has achieved major developmental milestones with the finishing of the building’s detailed design and the completion of the infrastructure, which encompassed marine, excavation, piling and substructure works.

Designed by Pritzker prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Louvre Abu Dhabi will be one of the premier cultural institutions located on Saadiyat Cultural District that will encompass 9,200 sq m of art galleries.

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