Opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi pushed back to 2016

The museum was originally scheduled to open in 2012 but that target was pushed back until this year.

Authorities are now aiming for a late 2016 opening for the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island. Christopher Pike / The National

ABU DHABI // The opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi has been postponed until next year because building work will not be completed on schedule.

The museum was initially scheduled to open in 2012 but that target was pushed back to the end of this year.

“Attention will now turn to the remaining work on the underside of the cladding, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi remains on track for opening in the second half of 2016,” said Ali Majed Al Mansoori, the chairman of Abu Dhabi’s tourism development and investment company (TDIC).

• Final piece of Louvre Abu Dhabi's jigsaw canopy put in place

He did not give a reason for the delay in building work at the $650 million (Dh2.4 billion) project.

The announcement is the first from the developer since its architect, Jean Nouvel, identified 2016 as the likely opening date.

“We shall deliver the building at the end of 2015 then a few months will be needed to set up the inner structures and hang the works,” Mr Nouvel said in March.

TDIC is developing a cultural district on Saadiyat Island that will house branches of the Louvre and Guggenheim museums, and the Zayed National Museum. Contracts for the Guggenheim and Zayed National Museum will be awarded soon, with ground-breaking for the Zayed Museum expected by the end of this year and at the Guggenheim in the first half of next year.

* Reuters

This article has been changed to correct the name of the TDIC chairman.