French architect Jean Nouvel has designed a "Classical Art Museum" on Saadiyat Island in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, to display exhibits loaned from the Louvre.
The location of the "Louvre in the desert" is an undeveloped island area. The museum occupies 260,000 square feet, with 6,000 square meters designated for permanent exhibitions. Jean Nouvel designed a "pavilion village" made up of small single-room exhibition halls, most of which are located under an umbrella-shaped roof that spans 590 feet wide and rises 80 feet high. The roof is decorated in Islamic style, casting dappled shadows on the ground below. This white castle on the water sparkles in the sunlight, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.