156
157
True Today
100+10 Years of True Evolution
armchairs
sofas in di� erent
con� gurations
poufs
VIP sofas
VIP poufs
VIP armchairs
VIP side tables
of leather
leathers “printed”
by means of a process
patented by Poltrona Frau
“loose items”
accompanying
the seating system
units produced
years of development
for the seating system
32
46
17
11
9
40
22
7,300 sqm
1,050
138
177
3
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a one-of-a-
kind project. It is a universal museum, born
from an agreement between the govern-
ments of Abu Dhabi and France to exhibit
works of art, manuscripts and objects of
historical, cultural and sociological signifi-
cance. Designed by architect Jean Nouvel,
winner of the Pritzker Prize in 2008, it is
located on the island of Saadiyat between
the sand and the sea, in an extraordinary and
constantly changing relationship with light,
water and air. It is a welcoming place of calm,
based on an important symbol for Arab
architecture: the dome, here an imposing
structure of 180 metres in diameter and a
maximum height of 29 metres. The roof of
the dome is made up of a seemingly random
interwoven pattern that provides shadow
punctuated by bursts of sunlight, and which
makes the space a radiant lantern at night.
The Jean Nouvel studio designed every
detail of the museum, including the Louvre
Abu Dhabi Line furniture series, which was
developed in collaboration with Poltrona
Frau Custom Interiors. The furnishings are
distributed throughout the public spaces,
the exhibition galleries and the VIP areas of
the museum. Based on a modular system,
the line of furnishings consists of armchairs,
stools, benches and two-seater sofas, with
and without armrests and double faced, for
a total of 177 custom-made seats.
With a minimal design and careful study
of ergonomics to maximise comfort, the
seats share rounded profiles that recall the
curved lines of the museum spaces. The
furnishings are precisely positioned along
the walls of the building, slightly offset,
emphasising its scale and compositional
lines. In contrast to the absolute white of the
architectural shell, the seats are made of
black leather. It is precisely the graphic and
abstract rendering of the ribbed leather that
defines its aesthetic. The specially devel-
oped Pelle Frau® leather upholstery is made
with a double layer of support and foam
rubber padding onto which the leather is
shaped. Every two centimetres, the design
of the ribs, gives the shape a strong and
sculptural character.
© Roland Halbe
© Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi Photo by Mohamed Somji
