Saadiyat Island
Views: 119,672 Subscribe

When the Frank Gehry-designed museum finally opens its doors, it will be the Guggenheim’s largest location, at 320,000 square feet. The project, which is being overseen by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, will also be one of the hubs of the nascent cultural and tourism district on Saadiyat Island.

The island is already home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2017 (after delays of its own). There are plans for a Zayed National Museum dedicated to the United Arab Emirates’s founder, as well as two other museums. The city pledged in June to spend $6 billion on the creative industries over the next five years.

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/guggenheim-abu-dhabi-2011351

5 years from next week! How precise!

Frank Gehry's Guggenheim museum in Abu Dhabi has a new opening date: 2026. the news was revealed by the Guggenheim's director, Richard Armstrong, at a press conference in Basel.

‘We think it should be five years from next week,’ the art newspaper reported, adding he will visit the middle east soon. ‘it looks like everything is coming together so we can say something definitive. it has been a relatively long gestation.’

First announced in 2006 and scheduled to open in 2012, the long-awaited project has suffered many ups-and-downs. a new opening date was set for 2017, which obviously didn’t happen, and by the time the museum’s plans seemed to be washed up.

Source: https://www.designboom.com/architecture/frank-gehry-guggenheim-abu-dhabi-opening-2023-09-22-2021/

Originally Posted by iAnirudhG

What's up with Saadiyat Grove? I've been seeing the updates on the Abrahamic Family House and of the Zayed National Museum. It's nice to see that one of the "wings" of the museum seem to have topped out, but I don't see any updates on Saadiyat Grove.

As far as I can see there have been no updates on Saadiyat Grove since 2019. There are a few pictures online of this scale model and different variations of what the development would include but it looks like it was meant to tie together the museums district and as those have been so on and off over the past few years I think it's fallen by the wayside.

It may return, or be redone in another format, once the museums etc are further along but it looks like this is the most "realistic" press release I can find for it and it's from November 2019 so not much time to get things moving before the pandemic closure hit.

Article: https://www.constructionweekonline.com/projects-tenders/260881-pictures-sheikh-khalid-unveils-aldars-22bn-saadiyat-grove

For those not familiar with the project here are some images of the model and headlines from the project...



Perhaps someone local can see if the Saadiyat Grove Experience Centre is still there?

As part of the launch, Sheikh Khalid visited the Saadiyat Grove experience centre at Mamsha Al Saadiyat and reviewed the designs and the master plan of the 24.2ha development

Once developed, Saadiyat Grove will feature 6ha of retail, entertainment, and leisure spaces comprising 3,706 residential units, 170 of which will be branded, in addition to hotels, as well as co-working spaces for new enterprises and startups.

Phase 1 of Saadiyat Grove will include 606 residential and around 200 retail units, in addition to gyms, pools, kids play areas, community gardens, and a running track that will connect the whole project. Set to be developed in phases, Saadiyat Grove’s Phase 1 will begin handover in 2022.

I've been seeing the updates on the Abrahamic Family House and of the Zayed National Museum. It's nice to see that one of the "wings" of the museum seem to have topped out, but I don't see any updates on Saadiyat Grove.

Aldar's website says project completion to be in 2023, but Google Maps shows only the basic foundation work done and nothing else. Has there been any work on that end? I truly believe that the Grove will be a wonderful addition to Saadiyat along with the Guggenheim. Thanks to a recent confirmation from TCA we know that the work on the Gugg is back on.

I'm assuming the other two museums they hinted at in the announcement made are the Tadao Ando designed Maritime Museum and Zaha Hadid's Performing Arts Centre, atleast I hope that they are. There are a few links for the Maritime Museum on a few government pages but no hint about the Performing Arts Centre. Fingers crossed though.

The 'Abrahamic Family House' will be the real deal on Saadiyat. It will contain a Mosque, a Church and a Synagogue at the same spot. Read here:
https://www.forhumanfraternity.org/abrahamic-family-house/

Originally Posted by Reem

Saadiyat National Museum status quo:

Interesting indeed. There have never been cranes on the Guggenheim site, at least not for many years!

New Google Earth images.
There looks to be cranes on site at the Guggenheim Site which are new.

With the latest satellite imagery on Google Maps, you can see that work is well underway on the Zayed National Museum and the foundations have begun on The Grove.
Plus as of the latest visuals which were updated sometime this week, work has begun on the Guggenheim as well with a site office established over there.

There was a mention on one of Abu Dhabi's website on Tadao Ando's Maritime Museum (which hasn't been spoken about a lot) too with the website last being updated in July, 2020.

Guess all projects except Zaha Hadid's Performing Arts Centre are back on track.

Zayed National Museum is still happening

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/abu-dhabi-s-next-mega-museum-back-on-track-now-with-a-director?