The official opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum has been postponed to 2017, according to a report from Reuters citing three sources familiar with the matter.
The project was originally scheduled to open in 2012 but that target was pushed back to the second half of 2016, the chairman of state-owned developer Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) told the news agency last year.
TDIC was scheduled to hand over the $650mn museum to Abu Dhabis Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA) in mid-2016.
First, the museum buildings have to be completed and delivered and then the opening (must take place), which is now some time in 2017, a source close to the project said. There is some work to be done interiors, testing which are critical as the commissioning takes place.
Two other sources confirmed the opening is postponed to an unspecified date next year. All three declined to be identified citing confidentiality. TDIC declined to comment, Reuters said.
Designed by prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, construction of Louvre Abu Dhabi was awarded to an Arabtec-led joint venture with Construction San Jose SA and Oger Abu Dhabi LLC in 2013.