International Museums and Transcultural Impact on Gulf States: The Louvre Abu Dhabi as a Case Study

Abstract

The study of emerging contemporary museums in the United Arab Emirates suggests that new forms of architecture are emerging that deal with the past and present at the same time. The opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2017 and the number of visitors that visited the museum highlights the emergence of new spaces of gathering in Al-Saadiyat Island as a new cultural hub in Abu Dhabi. Traditional Museums in the United Arab Emirates are mostly heritage forts that have been restored and are conservative in their exhibitions. The Louvre Abu Dhabi on the other hand represents an experimental trans-disciplinary design that includes continuity and discontinuity from tradition. This paper studies the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and we simulate the complex flow pattern around the Louvre using the 2D-hydrodynamic Finite Element Surface Water Modeling System