Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

At 450,000 square feet, the new Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will be the largest Guggenheim in the world. It will house its own modern and contemporary art collection with a focus on Middle Eastern contemporary art, and will also host special exhibitions. The museum will join other leading cultural institutions in the creation of a vibrant cultural destination in the Cultural District of Saadiyat Island.

 

Gehry created clusters of galleries connected by catwalks that center on a common courtyard, and additional vertical clusters of galleries that allow for a variety of vertical and horizontal exhibition spaces, providing unprecedented curatorial flexibility. Monumentally scaled cones provide natural cooling and ventilation of the courtyards in a  nod to traditional Middle Eastern wind towers.

 

L’Observatoire scope includes the façade and site lighting as well as interior public spaces including lobbies, exhibition spaces, auditorium, cafés, restaurants and shops.



Location Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Architect Gehry Partners, LLP
Client The Guggenheim Foundation and TDIC
Type Museums + Cultural Institutions
size450,000 ft2 / 41,000 m2
Status In Progress

L'Observatoire Intl Team
Principal Hervé Descottes
Project Leader Wei Jien
Project Team Alex Miller Papon Kasettratat Gianni Franceschi Wen Y. Lin Glenn Fujimura Leah Xandora