Contract bids invited for Zayed National Museum

Prequalification bids for the main contract works on the much feted Zayed National Museum project have been invited by Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).

The museum, which will have a built-up area of 66,198 square meters and a high-point of 125 meters, is set to be the centrepiece of the Saadiyat Cultural District and is named after the UAE’s founding President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

It has been designed by UK-based architectural firm Foster + Partners, combining contemporary architecture with traditional Arabic design, and inspired by the flight and feathers of a falcon. Each ‘feather’ will feature a gallery space with exhibits about the history and culture of the UAE, and outside the building will be landscaped gardens surrounded by water.

The contract will involve works on the concrete superstructure, structural steelwork, feature cladding to the wing-shaped aspects of the external façade, vertical transportation and specialist security installation. It will also include electrical, plumbing and mechanical works, as well as fit-out and external works.

Bids must be submitted by 21 March and interested companies must have a successful a relevant track record, experience in similar projects, and have completed three projects each worth more than AED1bn (US$272m) in the past five years.

The museum will sit alongside other high-profile projects destined for Saadiyat Island, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi museums. The entire island’s developments are scheduled for completion by 2020.