BESIX, Orascom award $13m contract for Grand Egyptian Museum

Acciona Producciones y Diseño (APD) has been chosen to develop four of the Grand Egyptian Museum’s exhibition halls in a contract worth $12.8m (EUR 11m).

The Egyptian Ministry of Culture and joint venture (JV) of BESIX and Orascom have picked APD to work on the project.  

APD will be responsible for the technical and museographic development of 1.2ha of exhibition space at the Cairo-based institution, with APD incorporating a variety of exhibition elements, such as graphics, models, life-sized reproductions, and exhibition and staging lighting.

The move will turn the Grand Egyptian Museum into the largest archaeological museum in the world with 45,000 pieces, of which 25,000 have never been exhibited before.

APD said the museum is expected to receive five million visitors a year, equating to around 15,000 day. Some of the rooms will be open to visitors by 2019, with the grand opening set for late-2020.

Part of the deal will also see APD conduct a three-dimensional scan of Tutankhamun’s outer burial chamber to provide an “exact digital model of the original that can be turned into a physical reproduction for future display at the museum”.

Among Europe's largest companies in the museum and exhibitions sector, APD is a proponent of 'cultural engineering', which entails the use of advanced sustainable visual and sensory technology.

The group’s other projects include  the National Museum of Oman, the House of European History in Brussels, Abu Dhabi’s The Founder’s Memorial, and the Al-Shaheed Park Museums in Kuwait.

In Dubai, Madrid-headquartered APD is currently implementing several stages for the Shindagha Museums project in Dubai.

The project will include the reconstruction of historic buildings, the development of approximately 35,000m2 of museums and a theatre, as well as relocation of the Al Fahidi Fort Museum and Courtyard and the development of a wide range of cultural features.

The Shindagha Museum project is divided into several stages, or ‘waves’, corresponding to different theme pavilions made up of clustered historic houses that showcase Dubai’s history and culture.

Construction Week Online Contribution Time: 27-Aug-2018 06:55 (GMT)
Construction Week Online Last Update Time: 27-Aug-2018 06:55 (GMT)