The first universal museum in the Arabian world: ERCO at the Louvre Abu Dhabi

The architecture: a Medina-like museum city beneath a circular dome of steel

For Jean Nouvel, light and geometry form the fundamental principles of Arabian architecture. In accordance with this credo, he has arranged a total of 55 white, cuboid buildings below and adjacent to a circular steel dome on a ground area of 100,000 square metres for the Louvre Abu Dhabi, according to the example of an Arabian Medina. Alleyways and corridors lead through the conglomerate of exhibition rooms, auditorium, café and restaurant. The complete construction is shadowed by the gigantic steel dome with a diameter of 180 metres. This is supported by four pillars, and with 7,500 tonnes weighs almost as much as the Eiffel Tower. The eight layers of aluminium and stainless steel create a pattern with star-shaped apertures. These are reminiscent of traditional palm frond covers in the alleys of Medina, and during the day cast subtle shadows onto the ground. From the start of planning this play of light and shadow, called the "rain of light", was an essential element of the fundamental design concept. The exhibition rooms are subdivided into galleries displaying the museum's permanent collection in chronological sequence, and rooms that will accommodate a total of four temporary exhibitions per year.

A highly complex lighting concept with ERCO LED lighting tools for a superlative museum

ERCO LED luminaires are used in a total of 23 gallery rooms and their connection rooms as well as in the imposing entrée of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The lighting designer Rémy Cimadevilla from 8'18'' Lumière in Paris consistently followed through on Jean Nouvel's architectural concept to place his trust in the long-term experience of ERCO in the museum lighting sector. The light illuminates the rooms as well as the paintings and sculptures contained within and can be flexibly adapted to changing scenarios. In accordance with the lighting concept from 8'18'' Lumière, ERCO developed several technically sophisticated special spotlight and wallwasher solutions for the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Jean Nouvel's design specifies that each of the 23 cuboid exhibition buildings has different dimensions; the individual rooms also differ in terms of materials and interior construction. Some are implemented as "bronze galleries" with dark lamella ceilings and some as "glass ceiling galleries" with light ceilings combining daylight and artificial light.

For the "glass ceiling galleries", 8'18'' Lumière developed an intelligent lighting system that intentionally combines controlled and proportioned daylight with artificial light. Wallwashers with 4000K light colour were installed that create a line of light via corner connectors in accordance with the room geometry. The team headed by Rémy Cimadevilla combined the neutral "architectural" light of these with warm white light on the artworks together with daylight entering from above through the light ceilings to create a lighting concept emphasising the high quality of the rooms. "The light becomes increasingly cooler from bottom to top, ranging from 3000K on the artworks and wall surfaces at eye-height to 4000K on the upper wall areas, and then to 6000K and higher in the area of the glass ceilings," explained Rémy Cimadevilla. "In this way we create a genuine landscape of light that reflects the high standard of design of this museum project."