Buro Happold wins the Louvre Abu Dhabi

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first outside France, will be built on Saadiyat Island.

UK-based engineering consultancy, Buro Happold, has won the engineering services contract for the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

The developer of the project is Abu Dhabi-based Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).

The museum has been designed by 2008 Pritzker prize winner Jean Nouvel and is one of five cultural institutions planned for Saadiyat Island.

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Buro Happold will now work with Jean Nouvel, under a co-operation agreement, on concept validation of the initial design and on the schematic design of the museum, which is due to open in 2012.

Buro Happold's scope of work includes engineering and planning for structural, civil, site traffic, marine and environmental works.

"Buro Happold was selected because of its holistic approach to engineering, its track record as an environmentally responsible and responsive organisation and its appreciation of the project's standing within the social, architectural and aesthetics fields," said Lee Tabler, CEO, TDIC.

The engineering design has begun and construction on the project is expected to start in early 2009. The cultural district will also include the Sheikh Zayed National Museum and a Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum.

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