Abu Dhabi's Guggenheim Museum moves a step closer to reality

Arabtec, the contractor building the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi, will also be among those bidding to build the Guggenheim.
A spokesman for Arabtec said yesterday that the company would submit applications to pre-qualify for bidding for the museum, which is being developed by the state-owned Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC).
As the UAE's largest builder, Arabtec is in a prime position to win the contract - estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars - to build the 80,660 square metre, Frank Gehry-designed museum. It had already won the main contract to built the Jean Nouvel-designed Louvre, located in the centre of the Saadiyat Cultural District, at the start of the year.
Dubai-based Habtoor Leighton Group also said that it might bid to build the vast cone- and block-shaped Guggenheim, which is scheduled to be completed in 2017.
Earlier this week, TDIC invited contractors to pre-qualify for the main contract to build the Guggenheim.
According to adverts in The National, works will include building the concrete superstructure, steelwork, timberwork and glazed cladding as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing for what will become the world's fourth, and largest, Guggenheim museum.
Contractors have until Sunday to collect pre-qualification documents.
This will be the second time TDIC invites bids to build the museum.
Contractors including Habtoor Leighton, Arabtec, Al Ain-based Al Fara'a, Saudi Oger, Egypt's Orascom Construction, South Korea's Samsung C&T, and Alec, the local subsidiary of Al Jaber Construction, are understood to have submitted bids for a package in March 2011.
The Abu Dhabi Guggenheim was originally scheduled to open in 2013.
However, in January 2012, TDIC announced that it had rescheduled the construction timings for its Saadiyat museums, moving the completion date for the Guggenheim project to 2017, two years after the Louvre.
Local project managers who spoke to The National suggested that because of the large and complicated nature of the scheme, only a few contractors operating in the UAE could take it on.
The move comes less than a month after TDIC invited contractors to submit bids to build the road network around the long-awaited Saadiyat Cultural District.
The Louvre is scheduled to open its doors in 2015, followed by the Norman Foster-designed Zayed National Museum in 2016 and the Guggenheim in 2017. Work on a 168,000 square metre luxury shopping mall linking the three museums is scheduled to start next year and to be completed by 2017.
On Wednesday, Arabtec shares rose to their highest in more than a year after the company's chief executive said that it was in talks to merge with big builders in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait following completion of a Dh2.4 billion rights issue aimed at expanding the company last month.
Yesterday, Arabtec shares were unchanged at Dh2.65 apiece in busy trading.

A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language

2018: Formal work begins
November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
November 2024: All 127 volumes completed

Simran

Director Hansal Mehta

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey

Three stars

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Company%20Profile

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The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8

Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm

Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km

Price: Dh380,000

On sale: now

The%20specs

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Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Kumulus Water

Started: 2021

Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid

Based: Tunisia

Sector: Water technology

Number of staff: 22

Investment raised: $4 million

Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)

Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai

Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk

Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE

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On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

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Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

Dengue%20fever%20symptoms

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Company%20profile

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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi

“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”