The Louvre Abu Dhabi evolved through an intergovernmental agreement between France and the United Arab Emirates to create a universal museum to facilitate cultural exchange and promote Islamic art between the two countries (https://youtu.be/Exf0zRVmRCw).

The Louvre Abu Dhabi was designed by Pritzker award-winning architect Jean Nouvel and included a distinctive 180m-diameter ‘floating’ dome that echoes the great domes of Islamic design. The Louvre Abu includes 8 Galleries, five restaurants, retail shops, convention rooms and marina facilities. The Louvre has been designed to meet a LEED Gold rating.

Works on the Louvre Abu Dhabi site commenced with 4,500 piles and the main structure in Nov 2012. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is estimated to cost 1.8 Billion USD and will be opened in 2016 (https://youtu.be/NQl59dVYGWU).