The Louvre, Abu Dhabi

                                                        

Situation

After more than a decade of planning and construction, the Louvre Abu Dhabi opened its doors in November 2017. The agreement between France and the United Arab Emirates in 2007 envisioned 30 years of art loans, advice, special exhibitions and the rights to use the name of the most famous art gallery in the world.

Designed by the French Architect Jean Nouvel, The Louvre is positioned on the manmade Saadiyat Island. The centrepiece of Nouvel's vision is a huge silvery dome that appears to float above the entire museum-city. Despite its apparent weightlessness, the dome in fact weighs approximately 7,500 tonnes (the same as the Eiffel Tower). Inspired by the cupola, a distinctive feature in Arabic architecture, Nouvel's dome is a complex, geometric structure of 7,850 stars, repeated at various sizes and angles in eight different layers.

Solution

SFS supported Sika UAE LLC on The Louvre's iconic latticework dome. The SB Durocoat® fastener (a Sika own-brand fastener manufactured by SFS) was used to fix 25,000m2 of Sika membrane through insulation to concrete.

SFS was on hand to support the project with pull out tests and site inspections throughout. Middle East Sales Manager, Pete Hamby, comments: "This is one of a number of projects we have worked on together with Sika UAE LLC, but the Louvre Abu Dhabi has been a thrilling project to be involved in. This is a very exciting venture for Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and we are proud that SFS products have enabled the realisation of the stunning Louvre dome."