CONTRACTORS keen on clinching the main construction contract for the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum have been given a second extension to submit their bids. According to Tourism Develop-ment and Investment Company (TDIC), the master-developer of Saadiyat Island which will be home to the iconic museum, the deadline for the submission of bids has now been extended to October 30.

“The bidders for the main contract for the Louvre have requested an extension of time to submit their bids owing to the nature and scale of the project, which TDIC has agreed to,” says a spokesman for the TDIC. “The extension to the bid deadline will not have any effect on the final delivery date for the museum, and all the remaining museum projects in the Saadiyat Island Cultural District continue on schedule.”
Work on the museum, located on Saadiyat Island Cultural District, is on schedule and is expected to be completed in 2013.

The project, which witnessed groundbreaking in May 2009, has now entered the piling works phase which was awarded to German construction company Bauer International.
A total of 5,638 piles are being driven into the ground, including 4,298 steel piles and 1,340 concrete piles, aggregating to 94.2 km in length.
This piling works contract constitutes the second sequential package issued for the Louvre Abu Dhabi since its groundbreaking. The first package of enabling works, also executed by Bauer International, was completed in January this year after 503,000 cu m of earth had been excavated to accommodate the base of the museum.
“We are very excited about the Louvre Abu Dhabi project and how it is progressing so rapidly. This development is indeed one of a kind – from design aesthetics to construction mechanisms – it is a piece of art in the making. Taking the development aspect into perspective, our requirements for contractors are very demanding and we are proud to work with the world’s leading construction firms as we build these top-class museums,' comments Lee Tabler, TDIC’s CEO.

Following the completion of the piling, a sub-structure contractor will construct the concrete and waterproofing works up to ground level. The main contractor will execute all remaining works which includes the dome and cladding.
Designed by Jean Nouvel, the Louvre Abu Dhabi is part of the Saadiyat Island Cultural District which will be home to the world’s largest concentration of cultural institutions in the world and will also include the Zayed National Museum and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi museum.
Construction works on all three museums continues apace, with the enabling works complete and the piling works now in progress.
On the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the main contract will go to tender next month (October) and will be returned by January next year. The Zayed National Museum, devoted to showcasing Abu Dhabi’s cultural heritage, is being designed by Foster + Partners.
All three are scheduled for completion in 2013.

Earlier this year, a 15-m prototype dome for the Louvre Abu Dhabi was installed on Saadiyat Island to simulate the lighting conditions under the final 180-m-wide structure at different times of day. A mock-up centre containing a 1:50 scale model of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum is set to open in the fourth quarter of this year.
Located 500 m from the UAE capital, Saadiyat Island is one of TDIC’s flagship developments. It covers 27 sq km, and will be completed in phases between now and 2020. When complete, the island will become a premier destination providing leisure and tourism facilities, as well as civic and cultural institutions to its estimated 160,000 residents.
The island is made up of seven districts: Saadiyat Cultural District, Saadiyat Marina, Saadiyat Beach, Saadiyat Promenade, Saadiyat Lagoons, Saadiyat Reserve and Saadiyat Retreat.

Saadiyat Beach
The project has been witnessing significant progress over the last couple of months, beginning with the opening of the 10-lane Sheikh Khalifa Bridge last November, which connects the 27-sq-km island to the mainland for the first time.
On the far northerly tip of the island, the Saadiyat Beach community – a residential collection of villas, townhouses and apartments – is under construction and is set to house approximately 1,500 residents by 2011 once the first phase of villas is complete. A number of showcase villas in a range of sizes, finishes and styles are well under way and will be ready by the fourth quarter of this year.
Also in progress on Saadiyat Beach are nine five-star hotels, the first of which, the Park Hyatt, developed by Abu Dhabi National Hotels, will be operational in 2011, closely followed by TDIC’s St. Regis Hotel & Residences.
Meanwhile, construction work on Saadiyat Beach Apartments has begun with the recent appointment of Dhabi Contracting Establishment as the contractor for Phase One comprising 495 apartments.
Prominently placed along Saadiyat’s beachfront, Saadiyat Beach Apartments were designed by world-leading US architects JZMK and AN Design, and are inspired by Arabian and Mediterranean architecture, which is complemented by top-quality finishes and fittings.
The luxury apartments are due for completion by the fourth quarter of 2011, with the show apartments expected to be available to view in the second quarter of 2011, when leasing will commence to future residents.
From five-star hotels and beach clubs through to Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, the residents of the apartments will have access to a range of leisure activities on the island. These include the Saadiyat Beach Marina Village, featuring a medical centre, grocery store, community centre and nursery, in addition to a busy cosmopolitan shopping scene with a central plaza, an exclusive marina for up to 150 boats, and a range of restaurants and cafes including a top-end yacht club.
Each of the three neighbourhoods is fully landscaped and has community facilities including a 25-m pool, gymnasium, barbeque and children’s play areas, tennis court and multi-use court facility.

Each apartment site offers views of the water, surrounding island landscape and the already completed and operational Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. The apartment buildings include above-ground landscaped podiums and four additional floors, with their own unique residential apartment mix.
The Abu Dhabi branch of GHD Group, an international network of engineers, architects and environmental scientists, has been commissioned to support on the architectural works; interior designing; structural and mechanical, engineering and plumbing works, landscape architecture sustainability; and infrastructural services.
Meanwhile, construction is advancing on the luxurious villas that are the cornerstone of the first phase of the exclusive Saadiyat Beach Residence community. A range of three- to eight-bedroom villas are on schedule for handover to residents in the second quarter of 2011.
TDIC is also building a beach club on Saadiyat Island, which is slated to be open later this year. The club is located on a total plot area of 38,725 sq m and has been designed by the LW Design Group.
Located on the north-eastern side of Saadiyat Beach, the club will feature two swimming pools, a spa, beach access, tennis courts, plus top-of-the-range gyms and fitness areas, with specific play areas available for children and a range of restaurants
The club will be one of the major attractions of Saadiyat Beach, a holiday destination with 9 km of beaches and its nine five-star resorts from world-class hospitality operators of which several will be opened by 2011. These chains include St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Park Hyatt Hotel Resort and Spa, Shangri-La Resort, Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences and Saadiyat Rotana Hotel and Resort.
Saadiyat Beach lies on the north shore of Saadiyat Island, and 10,000 residents are expected to live in the area when it reaches completion in 2014. Primary access will be provided via arterial road to Sheikh Khalifa Highway linking Saadiyat Beach to the mainland and airport within 15 minutes.

Other districts
Other districts will be devoted to family resorts, boardwalks, boutique hotels and low-rise waterfront residences by tidal lagoons.
In addition to being a vacation destination, Saadiyat Island will house a branch of New York University with more than 2,500 students. Site mobilisation work on the campus is scheduled to commence this fall and be completed by early 2014. Mubadala is the developer; Al Futtaim Carillion is the design-builder. Rafael Viñoly Architects designed the masterplan.