I was seriously excited when I came across photos by Luc Boegly and Sergio Grazia of the new Louvre Abu Dhabi and the more I read up on it the more it becomes transparent just how extraordinary Jean Nouvel’s design is.

His vision of a Souk inspired cluster of buildings floating out in the Persian Gulf on a man-made island took no less than 8 years to complete and is nothing like any gallery you’ve seen before. There is a great time lapse video below which will give you a sense of the proverbial and real mountains that were moved to bring this piece of architecture to life. It’s the French Musee de Louvre’s first outpost and the defining feature of a floating dome spans 180 meters covering semi-outdoor spaces.

I’m absolutely fascinated by the dome which is made from multiple layers of iconic geometric stars made of steel that offer protection from the hot Middle Eastern sunshine yet let just enough light through to create ever changing patterns when walking along the plazas and galleries underneath. This incredible feat of engineering was brought to life by Bruno Happold and Andy Pottinger who had to computer simulate 23 models for the dome before the pattern and the harnessing of light had just the right porosity and was true to Nouvel’s original vision.

I’ve not really had any urges to visit the United Arab Emirates but after seeing these photos I’m fascinated and I suddenly find Abu Dhabi top of my travel list, especially since there will also be a Guggenheim designed by Frank Gehry and the Foster + Partner-designed Zayed National Museum on Saadiyat Island. Watch this space!

 
MORE INFORMATION | Louvre Abu Dhabi
PHOTOGRAPHY | Luc Boegly and Sergio Grazia
 
Follow Stylejuicer with Bloglovin