Louvre Abu Dhabi

Photographs by Jen Burnett (top) and Angie McMonigal (bottom)

Louvre Abu Dhabi, Jean Nouvel, 2017 

The Louvre Abu Dhabi stems from a partnership established in 2007 between the UAE and France. The building’s design is a play on the sand and water of Saadiyat Island where it stands, intermingling concrete, water, and light in the 55 buildings that form a museum city. Overarching a cluster of these structures is a perforated geometric dome, designed to mimic sunlight filtering through palm fronds. This dome is inspired by the cupola, a distinctive feature in Arabic architecture, and serves as a complex structure of 7,850 layered stairs.