Dh2.4bn construction of Louvre Abu Dhabi to 'start immediately'

Arabtec has won the Dh2.4 billion order to build the delayed Louvre Abu Dhabi which is now set to open in 2015.

Arabtec has won the Dh2.4 billion order to build the delayed Louvre Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National
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Arabtec has won a Dh2.4 billion order to build the long-delayed Louvre Abu Dhabi as a raft of stalled projects in the capital resume.
Construction on what is set to become one of the capital's most defining landmarks will start immediately.
"The Louvre Abu Dhabi is undoubtedly the most anticipated cultural development in the region and truly reflects the Emirates's ambition to strengthen its position on the global map as a cultural epicenter," said Hasan Ismaik, managing director of Arabtec in a statement.
The giant project designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Jean Nouvel is being built on Saadiyat Island and is one of three planned  museums that have faced delays.
It will be located in the heart of the island's cultural district alongside the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi expected to open in 2017 and the Zayed National Museum planned to open in 2016.
Arabtec won the Louvre order with Oger Abu Dhabi and Constructora San Jose. The museum's concrete frame is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2014 with opening planned in 2015.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is to comprise a built up area of 64,000 square metres, and include pavilions, plazas and canals.
Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) awarded the contract to Arabtec.
"The awarding of this contract confirms Abu Dhabi's commitment in developing iconic museums in the Saadiyat Cultural District," said Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, TDIC's chairman.
Shares Arabtec jumped by 4.5 per cent to a two-month high this morning on news of the contract win.
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