Abu Dhabi tenders Guggenheim museum contract

07 March 2011

Contractors have until 20 March to submit bids for the structure package

Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) has invited companies to submit bids for the structural package on its Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (GAD) museum, which is planned for Saadiyat Island.

Contractors have until 20 March to submit bids for the construction package on the museum project.

The GAD museum will cover a total area of 30,000 square metres and will larger than the existing Guggenheim museums in New York, Venice, Bilbao, Berlin and Las Vegas.

The museum was designed by US-based architect Frank Gehry and will be located in the 18 sq m Saadiyat Island Cultural District, which will also include the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum and the Sheikh Zayed National Museum.

TDIC has shortlisted Canada’s Brookfield Multiplex and a joint venture of the local/Australian Al-Habtoor Leighton Group with South Africa’s Murray & Roberts Contractors for the main construction package on its $1bn Louvre museum project.

TDIC received bids from at least five groups for the 24,000 sq m museum in November 2010. The client is still evaluating bids for the substructure package. Piling work on the museum has been completed by Germany’s Bauer.

TDIC originally planned to build the museum under a design and build contract for the entire scheme, but subsequently decided to issue tenders for a series of lump-sum construction packages, including the substructure, piling, loading bays and the main construction works (MEED 10:12:10).

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