The Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi has awarded a Dh500-million ($136 million) contract to Zublin Construction for the refurbishment and conservation of the Cultural Foundation Building at Qasr Al Hosn, the symbolic birthplace of the capital of the UAE, reported state news agency Wam.

The Cultural Foundation Building at the site has come to symbolise Abu Dhabi's accelerated cultural progress in recent years, having been the home to the city’s first library, exhibition hall and theatre, it stated.

With this contract, the total investment in the ongoing master project plan for the refurbishment of the entire Qasr Al Hosn site has risen to more than Dh700 million ($190 million).

The wider project takes in the Qasr Al Hosn Fort, which was the first permanent structure built in Abu Dhabi and housed the ruling Al Nahyan family for generations. As work on the cultural foundation begins, the restoration of the fort nears completion, said the Wam report.

It can claim to be the first modern era cultural building in Abu Dhabi and its opening in 1981 was marked a significant step in the creation of the city of today, it stated.

Work on the site has already commenced, with shoring, excavation and the installation of working piles for the car-parks already complete.

Now, with the award of this new contract, the 23,000-sq-m building will undergo extensive refurbishment and upgrading, said the report.

The scope of work includes the reintroduction of a library, creation of exhibition spaces, the opening of a 900-seat theatre as well as learning and workshops facilities, and food and beverage areas, it added.