Archinect - News

RCR Arquitectes debuts 'ultra-thin' Muraba Veil residential tower in Dubai

2024-10-24T17:05:00-04:00

A unique new residential skyscraper in Dubai from RCR Arquitectes will be built to the width of just a single 22.5 meter (almost 74 feet) apartment unit in what could come as a shock to even the most ardent fans of contemporary luxury high-rise design.

The fifth collaboration between the 2017 Pritzker Prize winner and developer Muraba, the Muraba Veil, was announced this month for a site overlooking the canal in the city of 3.6 million.

Its design is shaped also by endemic cultural and climate conditions, reaching a total height of 1,247 feet and 73 stories. The apartments are being offered between two and five bedrooms. Some unique features include a cavern-like indoor spa and oasis located in the crawl space underneath its datum.

Image: courtesy RCR Arquitectes//Muraba

The building’s 'super-thin' appearance is meant to evoke traditional Arabian domestic architecture, revealing itself from behind a series of 'veils' comprising stainless steel mesh that helps to dematerialize its sil...

New interlocking tower blocks by Foster + Partners open in Dubai

2024-05-08T15:47:00-04:00

A pair of interlocking high-end residential and hotel towers designed by Foster + Partners recently held its official opening ceremony in Dubai.

Rising to 30 and 31 stories, respectively, The Lana and The Lana Residences demand their presence on the skyline of the Marasi Marina waterfront, located between downtown Dubai and the Dubai Design District.

Photo: Nigel Young / Foster + Partners

The concept behind the scheme is driven by seven vertical gardens throughout the development, which aim to act as social hubs for guests and residents. The architectural language will be echoed in the design of two more upcoming residential towers nearby, called VELA and VELA VIENTO, which we recently published on Archinect.

Photo: Ahmed Alnaji

"The idea behind the design was to create a building that responds to its surroundings with a unique sense of place derived from its interlocking gardens," said Gerard Evenden, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners. "The fluidity of spaces and the relationship t...

Dubai floats plan for new 400-gate airport terminal, the world's largest

2024-04-29T15:57:00-04:00

A design for what will become the world’s new largest-capacity airport terminal has been announced for Dubai by the Emirati leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Al Jazeera and other international outlets are reporting on the planned $35 billion development, which will take shape at the existing Al Maktoum International Airport with 400 total gates, five parallel runways, and a capacity for 260 million annual travelers — five times the size of Dubai's current international airport, according to the announcement.

Image: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum via X

Sheikh Mohammed also said there is a plan for a one-million-person satellite city to be developed alongside the new terminal, joined by a logistics hub for international carriers. Yahoo! Finance reported the vision will be realized "within ten years."

Speaking via his X account, the nation's ruler said, "We are building a new project for future generations, ensuring continuous and stable development for our children...

Plans for world’s tallest residential tower unveiled in Dubai

2024-04-27T08:00:00-04:00

Hospitality brand Six Senses has unveiled plans for a new residential tower in Dubai Marina, set to be the world’s tallest. Sprouting up in Dubai Marina, the Six Senses Residences will be the second Dubai location to come from Six Senses, joining the nearly-opened Six Senses The Palm Jumeirah hotel. The tower is said to boast an impressive 122 floors, when it is eventually completed in 2028.

The height of the new Six Senses Residences Dubai Marina tower is equal to the under-construction Burj Azizi tower nearby, a $1.5 billion commercial project that was announced to have broken ground in January and will be completed the same year.

Image credit: Select Group

They will become two of the world’s six 120+ story structures. Reported amenities include a 109th-floor lap pool and cryotherapy chambers, crystal sound healing room, movie theater, and spa.

Image credit: Select Group

Despite the size, only 251 high-end residences are included. The current record-holder for tallest residential building, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture's Central Park Tower in New York City, has 179 units over 131 floors.

Image credit: Select Group

WSP Middle East and Woods Bagot are reportedly in charge of the architectural design.

Historic flooding shuts down Dubai, Oman

2024-04-18T19:20:00-04:00

CNN is reporting on the chaotic situation in Dubai as record rainfalls this week have nearly incapacitated the metro, making for some unreal scenes at both its airport and city streets after about 10 inches fell in under 24 hours. Lightning and high winds have also caused damage to several structures.

Timelapse of massive storm in Dubai that caused a biblical flood.#DubaiFlooding #dubairain pic.twitter.com/31dhquZNjH
— BlueGreen Planet (@BluesWaltair) April 18, 2024

This is the largest amount of rain the region has received in 75 years. A lack of adequate floor prevention infrastructure has caused Copenhagen to adopt so-called "sponge city" concepts after a similarly devastating 2011 cloudburst event, and engineers and planners in the Middle East region may follow suit as such events are increasing due to climate change.

At least 18 people have been reported killed in the flooding thus far.

Foster + Partners unveils design for Dubai luxury residential towers

2024-03-26T11:45:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has unveiled plans for two luxury residential towers in Dubai. Named VELA and VELA VIENTO, derived from the Latin words for ‘sails’ and ‘wind’ respectively, the design of the towers echoes the architectural language of the firm’s previous waterfront tower The Lana, which sits nearby.

Image credit: Binyan Studios

“VELA, VELA VIENTO, and The Lana share a horizontal rhythm, an expressed structure, and voids in the massing, which makes them instantly recognizable,” Foster + Partners Head of Studio Gerard Evenden explains. “Together, they provide a range of generous outdoor spaces and play an integral role in the transformation of Dubai’s Marasi Bay.”

Image credit: Binyan Studios

VELA rises 492 feet in height encompassing over 30 floors. Inside, 38 residential typologies range from 4,253 square feet to 11,727 square feet. The units encompass penthouses and three-and-four-bedroom plans, with double-height living spaces, private terraces, and L-shaped corner pools. The towe...

Burj Azizi, Dubai's future second-tallest tower, begins construction in the UAE

2024-01-22T15:27:00-05:00

The imminent start of construction of the Burj Azizi, a $1.5 billion new commercial high-rise in Dubai that’s billed to become the city’s second-tallest construction upon completion, has been announced in the United Arab Emirates by a prominent local developer named Azizi Developments.

The tower, which has yet to name an architect or specify its final height at topping out, will reportedly host a vertical mall, luxury residences, and an observation deck. Planned for 122 stories, it will rival the Lotte World Tower and China 117 Tower as one of just five structures in the world to be completed at over 120 stories in height. Its construction will take place not far from the record-holding Burj Khalifa on Sheikh Zayed Road, culminating in a new icon backers say is a gift to the city that has nurtured their business success over many years.

“This tower will be our legacy,” said the Chairman of the Azizi company, Mr. Mirwais Azizi. “With Dubai having given my family and I so much — safe...

AIA will send nine-member delegation to COP28 in Dubai

2023-11-28T19:15:00-05:00

The American Institute of Architects today announced the appointment of a nine-member delegation that will represent the professional body at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) ahead of its commencement this Thursday in Dubai.

In a separate announcement today, AIA says its 96,000-strong community is one of the “best kept secrets” in the fight against climate change. As such, the aim of its envoy is to foster strategic partnerships with industry and government in addition to promoting much of the AIA’s own climate platform and 2030 Commitment. Their input will provide a valuable source of knowledge for policymakers while advocating for the better health of the built environment overall, the Institute states.

“AIA and its delegation are eager to attend COP28. Being here ensures the voice of architects is heard in the global conversation about urgent climate change. Buildings are currently responsible for 40 percent of carbon emissions,” 2023 AIA President Em...

Foster + Partners unveils vertiport terminal concept for Dubai

2023-04-10T12:15:00-04:00

A new electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) terminal concept has been unveiled by Foster + Partners.

The firm says its plan would augment the Dubai International Airport (DBX) and was developed in unison with Skyports Infrastructure, which Foster + Partners called a leader in advanced air mobility (AAM). It will help transport air travelers to other nodes in the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)’s planned vertiport and metro infrastructure network, itself a zero emissions high-speed system that’s currently being promoted by the government and the emirate's monarch Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Image courtesy Foster + Partners

Placed in the context of Foster + Partners’ other airport designs in the region, the vertiport project will serve as a compliment to its previously proposed King Salman International Airport and the forthcoming Red Sea Airport, both of which are located in Saudi Arabia and were begun in the two years since the firm’s controversial withd...

Cladding fire breaks out in 35-story Dubai apartment tower

2022-11-07T17:00:00-05:00

A massive fire was reported in the early hours of Monday morning at the 8 Boulevard Walk Tower in Downtown Dubai. Located near the Burj Khalifa, the 35-storey tower was ablaze and was extinguished just before 4am. The building seems to have extensive fire damage on the façade spanning through all floors.

The cause of the fire is unknown but appears to have been affected by the structure’s cladding, which residents told The Daily Mail was supposed to be replaced following a New Year’s Eve blaze in 2015 that caused significant damage to the nearby Address Downtown Dubai hotel.

1/ #Dubai

The Emaar skyscraper of the largest developer in Dubai partially burned down

The fire started early this morning near the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. pic.twitter.com/frFKZI1zu9
— David Kime (@CyberRealms1) November 7, 2022

Similar incidents prior to this have raised concerns for the safety of high-rises in Dubai completed before 2012 during a torrent of construction in the capital. According to some reports, at least 500 buildings in the UAE are susceptible owing to the combustibility of their cladding, which contains the same thermoplastic material likely to have fueled the deadly 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London. No injuries have been reported.

This is now the second large fire...

The $5 billion Moon Dubai resort could soon welcome tourists and astronauts alike

2022-09-09T19:34:00-04:00

A lunar addition to Dubai’s burgeoning Space Age aesthetic may soon grace the city’s skyline thanks to a new tourist destination and astronaut training facility proposal by a Canadian venture called Moon World Resorts Inc.

Arabian Business has picked up details of the so-called Moon Dubai project, which is said to total 735 feet (224 meters) in height and will take around 48 months to complete once the final approval is given to designs first drawn up by the company’s co-founding architects Sandra G. Matthews and Michael R. Henderson.

Vaguely resembling the presence of Buckminster Fuller’s famed Expo 67 Pavilion or one of the forthcoming (reviled) MSG Spheres, the structure is being marketed as a shot in the arm for Dubai’s hospitality and entertainment industries and will be surrounded by a “lunar colony” that is expected to receive up to 2.5 million visitors annually. The designers stated that this number could easily swell to around 10 million. According to their proposal, the ma...

Encircling the Burj Khalifa high up in the sky, Dubai architects propose a massive 'gated community' megastructure

2022-08-19T12:03:00-04:00

Downtown Circle is made up of five levels and would sit on five points, or pillars, embedded into the ground. The massive span of the circle itself would be composed of two main rings held together by a continuous green belt named the Skypark which vertically connects the floors with each other creating a connected three-dimensional urban green eco-system.

The National mentions that the (supposedly) self-sustaining 550-meter-tall (1,804-foot) structure would include a tram system and incredible landscaped features such as swamps and a waterfall in and around its three-kilometer (1.86-mile) long tract. ZNera Space, the Dubai-based firm behind the proposal, mentioned it in terms of the NEOM project’s recently-announced 'The Line' megastructure, stating that its concept differs within an urban context, but that the radical design, which was thought up during the pandemic, "raises the discussion of what we can do better" in terms of agricultural production and social division.

"Our roles as architects is to come up with these ideas," co-founder Najmus Chowdry said. "We want people to comment on it, criticise it, to see how we can think about building topographies."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ZNera (@znera.space)

Dubai’s eye-shaped Museum of the Future opens to the public

2022-02-23T12:04:00-05:00

Dubai’s Museum of the Future has opened its doors to the public after nine years of design and construction. Designed by local studio Killa Design, the museum describes itself as a “living laboratory” showcasing exhibitions around the themes of science and technology.

Museum of the Future, a video tour of the exterior and interior

Image courtesy of Museum of the Future

Resting on a green plateau, the building’s distinctive parametrically-designed form is inspired by the human eye, which the team describes as representing knowledge and future vision. “The museum is the eye that sees tomorrow,” the team says. “The void in the heart of the structure represents the unknown that we seek to discover, as it is the future that we will reach.”

Image courtesy of Museum of the Future

The 77-meter-tall (252-foot-tall) building is clad with 1,024 stainless steel composite panels adorned with Arabic calligraphy. The inclusion of 1,024 panels was a conscious d...

Dabbagh Architects’ first mosque project gives an enlightening new spiritual resource to Dubai's Al Quoz district

2021-12-21T17:04:00-05:00

A bright new spiritual center is finally open in Al Quoz, the industrial heart of Dubai.

Dabbagh Architects is behind one of the first mosques in the Emirates ever designed by a female architect.

Photo: Gerry O’Leary

A masterwork of materiality and form, the newly-completed mosque evokes a sense of inner calm to its worshippers, offering a spiritual break from the materialism of the outside world as promoted in the Quran.

Sumaya Dabbagh is one of only a handful of Saudi women architects and is considered a leader in the Gulf region for her designs, which “place an emphasis on the intangible in architecture; seeking to create meaning and a sense of the poetic in order to form a connection with each building’s user.”

Photo: Gerry O’Leary

“At the end of each project, my hope is that the building will evoke the feelings and emotions that were envisioned at the outset,” the architect said in a statement. “There is a defining, magical moment when the building is born and claims a life of...

Santiago Calatrava-designed UAE and Qatar pavilions highlight Expo 2020 Dubai's grand opening

2021-10-01T15:23:00-04:00

Two neighboring Gulf states are taking center stage at the newly opened Expo 2020 Dubai thanks to a pair of pavilions from Santiago Calatrava.

The Spanish architect, who used to have an office in Doha, currently operates out of Dubai and said he was “thrilled” by the honor of being asked to design structures for the nations that he has come to view as a second home.

Qatar Pavilion © Palladium Photodesign - Oliver Schuh + Barbara Burg

Inspired by the crossed swords image embedded in the Qatari coat of arms, Calatrava’s curvilinear contribution uses the metaphor of a dhow to convey the movement and progress of a country eager to showcase its liberalized outlook to the world.

Qatar Pavilion © Palladium Photodesign - Oliver Schuh + Barbara Burg

The 960-square-meter (10,333-square-foot) structure plays host to immersive exhibitions that highlight the country’s history and ambitious 21st-century development goals.

UAE Pavilion © Palladium Photodesign - Oliver Schuh + Barbara Burg

Calatrava...

Es Devlin's UK pavilion is unveiled as the Expo 2020 Dubai officially kicks off

2021-09-30T12:26:00-04:00

Lauded as one of the “must-see” highlights at this year’s Expo 2020 Dubai, the entry from the United Kingdom stands above the crowd thanks to a unique collaborative design from London-based artist and designer Es Devlin.

Photo © Alin Constantin Photography

The 20-meter (65.5-foot) conical CLT structure will host a program that highlights advancements in artificial intelligence, sustainable food, fashion, and other technologies relating to the Expo’s theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.” The pavilion also includes an interactive feature, inspired by Stephen Hawking, that will transcribe and then broadcast user-aggregated messages into space using machine learning technology.

Photo © Alin Constantin Photography

Devlin, who, in the past, has collaborated with luminaries like Bjarke Ingels and Benedict Cumberbatch, and who was responsible for the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony Union Jack set design, came to view the pavilion as a showcase for not only technology and com...

UAE is making artificial rainstorms to mitigate intense heat

2021-07-23T17:55:00-04:00

With temperatures in Dubai regularly surpassing 115 degrees Fahrenheit, the government has decided to take control of the scorching weather. Scientists in the United Arab Emirates are making it rain — artificially — using electrical charges from drones to manipulate the weather and force rainfall across the desert nation. Meteorological officials released video footage this week showing a downpour over Ras al Khaimah, as well as several other regions.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by المركز الوطني للأرصاد (@officialuaeweather)

Called cloud seeding, this is a weather-modification technique that aims to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds by artificially adding substances, called condensation nuclei, to the atmosphere. Given dwindling water sources, increasing temperatures, and a rising population, the United Arab Emirates hopes to regularly use this method to increase rainfall.

Based on research at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, scientists created the storms using drones, which jolted clouds with electricity, causing droplets in the clouds to clump together. The larger raindrops are then able to fall to the ground, instead of evaporating midair, which is what occurs to smaller droplets in such a hot climate.

In 2017, the researchers at the university received $1.5 million for use over three years from the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Scien...

Work halted on world's next tallest tower, Calatrava-designed Dubai Creek Harbour Tower

2020-12-09T13:59:00-05:00

Dubai largest listed developer Emaar Properties has halted new building work after a construction boom in recent years led to oversupply in the Gulf city, its chairman said on Monday. Dubai’s real estate market, where supply has outstripped demand for much of the past decade, has come under additional pressure this year from the coronavirus crisis.

"We as a group have stopped supply," said Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Dubai's largest developer Emaar Properties, after denying similar claims back in April.

The suspension includes work on the new Dubai Creek Harbour mega-development and its centerpiece, the Santiago Calatrava-designed Dubai Creek Harbour Tower which aims to take over the title of world's tallest building from the currently reigning Burj Khalifa — another Emaar property.

The ambitious project broke ground in 2016.

Expo 2020 Dubai: one-year postponement confirmed

2020-05-26T17:42:00-04:00

It's official: Expo 2020 Dubai will be postponed by one year. After the UAE government asked for a delay last month, a majority of the Bureau International des Expositions member states now voted in favor of the proposal, officially confirming the new start date of October 1, 2021 and end date of March 31, 2022.

Previously on Archinect: Adrian Smith+Gordon Gill unveils Al Wasl Plaza scheme for Dubai Expo 2020. Image: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture..

"We welcome the decision of BIE Member States to support the delay Expo 2020 Dubai by one year," said the Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, in response to the BIE announcement. "We are thankful to Member States for their continued commitment to contributing to a World Expo in Dubai that will play a pivotal role in shaping our post-pandemic world at a time when it will be most needed."

Previously on Archinect: Asif Khan-designed portals for Expo 2020 Dubai create celestial gateway...

New photographs of Zaha Hadid's striking ME Dubai Hotel at the Opus

2020-05-06T15:38:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects just released spectacular photographs of the new ME Dubai hotel at the Opus, a high-rise steel and glass cube the studio designed with a dramatic 8-story void seemingly punched right through it.

The building, centrally located in the Burj Khalifa district near Downtown Dubai and Business Bay on the Dubai Water Canal, was the only hotel in which the late Zaha Hadid designed both the architecture as well as the interiors.

Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu

"Spanning 84,300 square metres (907,400 square feet), the Opus was designed as two separate towers that coalesce into a singular whole—taking the form of a cube," explains the project description. "The cube has been ‘eroded’ in its centre, creating a free-form void that is an important volume of the design in its own right. The two halves of the building on either side of the void are linked by a four-storey atrium at ground level and also connected by an asymmetric 38 metre wide, three-storey bridge 71 metres above the ...

New dates proposed for Expo 2020 Dubai

2020-04-06T21:17:00-04:00

The UAE has officially proposed that the World Expo 2020 Dubai be moved. They have put forward a potential start date of October 1, 2021, in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The request was made in a letter addressed to Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, secretary general of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).

After hinting at a potential one-year delay of the Expo 2020 Dubai last week in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the UAE government has now reportedly proposed the new start date of October 1, 2021 and end date of March 31, 2022. The Bureau International des Expositions confirmed that it would be discussing the request at the upcoming BIE Executive Committee meeting on April 21.

Expo 2020 Dubai hinted at potential delay of the event in a message released on March 31

The central Al Wasl Plaza at the Dubai expo grounds was designed by Chicago-based Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture and is surrounded by major thematic pavilions envisioned by BIG, Foster + Partners, and Grimshaw. In charge of the expo site master plan were HOK, along with Populous and Arup. Asif Khan designed the Expo Entry Portals which were unveiled recently.

Asif Khan-designed portals for Expo 2020 Dubai create celestial gateways for visitors

2020-02-11T11:15:00-05:00

London-based Asif Khan as designed the Expo Entry Portals for Expo 2020 Dubai. Drawing inspiration from the latticework present in the traditional "mashrabiya" among Arabic dwellings, the three portals are crafted entirely from intertwined lightweight carbon fiber composite and sit defiantly upon the open landscape. Measuring 21 meters high by 30 meters long, the portals were developed over the course of a three-year iterative design process in collaboration with an aircraft engineer and a manufacturer specializing in large format carbon composite.

Of the project, Asif Khan said: "Designing the Public Realm for Expo 2020 Dubai is a seminal moment for my practice; each aspect of the design invites visitors to immerse themselves in shared Islamic culture, art and language in dialogue with the future spirit of Expo. As visitors explore the many facets of the Public Realm designs, from the Expo Entry Portals to the seating I made with Lara Captan, I hope it leaves them with an unforgett...

Pavilion 3D printed from 30,000 up-cycled plastic bottles takes shape in Dubai

2019-12-30T14:22:00-05:00

Located at the Dubai International Financial Center stands an eye-catching pavilion designed by the Middle East Architecture Network (MEAN). Known for their evocative designs using computational design and digital fabrication techniques, their most recent project, Deciduous, highlights the studio's passion for experimentation with fabrication and materials.

Image © Naaro

According to a project statement by MEAN, "Deciduous is composed of a hybrid of 3 different sustainable materials: CNC-milled Birch plywood flooring, Robotically 3D-Printed Concrete Base, and a series of branching 3D-Printed PETG stems, a plastic polymer up-cycled from 30,000 discarded water bottles.” The goal of the pavilion and its unique material construction is to aid spectators by revisiting their "relationship with nature, through an experience reminiscent of walking through an abstracted botanical form," according to the designers.

Image © Naaro

Video Documenting 'Deciduous' Fabrication, Construc...

"World's largest 3D-printed building" springs up in Dubai

2019-12-03T17:36:00-05:00

3D printing equipment manufacturer Apis Cor recently built a two-story administrative office building for a Dubai government agency using one mobile printer. Standing at 31 feet tall with an area of 6,889 square feet, the building's walls were printed while the insulation, roof, foundation and windows were installed using traditional building methods...

According to Smart Cities Dive, "the company's proprietary printing mixture consists of off-the-shelf materials like sand, cement, gypsum, and other proprietary components..." The challenge ultimately becomes creating the right blend of materials in relation to the local climate.

The country's Dubai 3D Printing Strategy aims to ensure that all new buildings there are at least 25% 3D printed by 2025, Smart Cities Dive reports.

Green superhighway plan wins World Architecture Festival prize in Dubai

2019-11-20T17:30:00-05:00

This is by far the busiest road in Dubai, the site of frequent, epic traffic jams that are infamous among commuters...But an ambitious new proposal would see a stretch of Sheikh Zayed Road transformed into an "urban living room" with fumes and congestion giving way to a green, pedestrianized oasis.

The project, titled X-Space was designed by architects Mouaz Abouzaid and Dima Faraj, and recently won the World Architecture Festival's (WAF) top prize in the Smart Cities category, reports CNN. The two-level project seeks to expand area for pedestrians while reducing area for automobiles.

Occupying only one kilometer of the highway, the architects envision "a ground level consisting of gardens, trees, and open space, and an upper level with leisure facilities such as cafes and gyms."

Is a future filled with levitating buildings on the horizon?

2019-11-18T15:10:00-05:00

During Dubai Design Week, architect and professor Dr. Georges Kachaamy presented an eye catching project that questions architecture's need for the ground. Through his project, "Rising Oases," Kachaamy proposes a future where individual buildings are no longer tied to their "daily restraints," including the need to be firmly anchored to the earth.

According to the Dubai Design Week website, "The structure is suspended in the air using breakthrough technology, providing visitors with an outlet to disconnect from the city." Part of an ongoing research project that has been in the works over the past decade, according to a recent report from CNN, Kachammy's project, which uses magnetic levitation technologies to levitate scale models above their bases, stunned the design week attendees.

Rendering of one of Kachaamy's levitating buildings. Courtesy of Georges Kachaamy.

Some might view his proposal as implausible, but according to Kieron Monks of CNN, Kachammy is prepared to win over th...

Nearly two decades in the making, Dubai's Palm Jumeirah nears completion

2019-06-24T15:49:00-04:00

The Palm Jumeirah has been Dubai’s most enduring work in progress for two decades. Now developer Nakheel is adding the finishing touches. Several major additions to the world’s biggest man-made island are approaching completion as it transitions from a near-perpetual construction site to a near-finished community—with hundreds of shops and restaurants set to open in the year ahead.

"Among the latest additions are a shopping mall and a tower that will form the centerpiece of the island, located close to the site originally earmarked for a 48-story Trump Tower," reports Mansion Global.

Palm Jumeirah in 2012. Photo: Richard Schneider/Wikipedia.

Meanwhile next door, the hyperambitious and once-declared-dead-but-now-happening-again The World artificial archipelago of 300 islands is reportedly seeing revived development again.

Dubai's ruler leaves his mark on new supertall tower, Burj Jumeira

2019-02-06T13:58:00-05:00

Across Dubai myriad construction projects are underway in the lead up to World Expo 2020. But it turns out there's always room for one more. State-owned investment firm Dubai Holding has released details of a huge post-expo construction mega-project, which will include a 1,804 feet (550-meter) high tower -- taller than One World Trade Center in New York. The tower, called Burj Jumeira, is situated in the Al Sufouh area of Dubai close to the Burj Al Arab.

Image: Dubai Holding

It's been a few weeks since the last announcement of another megaproject in Dubai, so here's finally a new one: Burj Jumeira is envisioned to become an oval-shaped, 1,804 ft/550 m supertall skyscraper with a flamboyant facade that is covered in a digital display, enabling it to light up like its taller city neighbor, the Burj Khalifa.

Image: Dubai Holding

And if you ever wondered what the thumbprint of Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, looks like, well, the base of the tower is literally covered with it.

Image: Dubai Holding

Construction will begin immediately, with the first phase of the development to be delivered in 2023.

Dubai aims for one-quarter of its buildings to be 3D printed by 2025

2018-08-27T13:31:00-04:00

Now, Dubai has taken a step further along the road to making such dreams a reality by announcing that 25% of the city-state’s new buildings will be made using 3D printers by 2025. The move is part of an ambitious 3D-printing strategy announced in 2016 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Dubai.

According to the Dubai Future Foundation the city aims to reduce labor by 70% and cut overall costs by 90% with their 3D-printed construction plan. The strategy not only aims at addressing the UN's projected density for urban areas in the future, but also holds potential to solve Dubai's severe homelessness crisis.

Calatrava-designed Dubai Creek Tower completes massive concrete pile cap

2018-06-04T15:11:00-04:00

Concrete placement work for Dubai Creek Tower's pile cap has been completed two months ahead of schedule. A 20m-thick, multi-layered pile cap has been developed for the $1bn (AED3.67bn) Dubai Creek Tower, which is part of the 6km2 Dubai Creek Harbour master development. The pile covers and transfers the load to the foundation barrettes.

Image: Emaar Properties.

Up to 16,000 tons of steel reinforcement, reportedly twice the weight of the Eiffel Tower, have been buried in the sandy Dubai ground to support (what has been promised to become) the world's tallest tower at a yet to be disclosed height: the Dubai Creek Tower designed by Santiago Calatrava.