The opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi has been postponed until next year because building work will not be completed on schedule.

The museum was initially scheduled to open in 2012 but that target was pushed back to the end of this year.

“Attention will now turn to the remaining work on the underside of the cladding, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi remains on track for opening in the second half of 2016,” said Ali Majed Al Mansoori, the chairman of Abu Dhabi’s tourism development and investment company (TDIC).

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He did not give a reason for the delay in building work at the $650 million (Dh2.4 billion) project.

The announcement is the first from the developer since its architect, Jean Nouvel, identified 2016 as the likely opening date.

“We shall deliver the building at the end of 2015 then a few months will be needed to set up the inner structures and hang the works,” Mr Nouvel said in March. Details