Considering the already controversial nature of the Dubai Frame, The New York Times recently published a piece on the project in relation to the city's “entrenched system [that notoriously] leaves outsiders vulnerable to mistreatment — from professionals sketching blueprints to construction workers laying foundations [...] a system in which kinship can outweigh contract terms”.

Based on the 2008-09 ThyssenKrupp competition-winning design by architect Fernando Donis, the 150-meter-tall Dubai Frame structure in Za'abeel Park has drawn plenty of opposition over the years, most notably from Donis himself. Donis filed a lawsuit against the Dubai Municipality for stealing the copyright to his design and for breaching the international UNESCO-UIA regulations from the competition. “At the end they took it, built it and will profit from it, without having involved us nor paid us,” Donis previously told Archinect in 2015.

After multiple delays, the opening date of the Dubai Frame was pushed back once again to the later half of 2017, Arabian Business  reported in February. Dubai Municipality Director General Hussain Nasser Lootah attributed the delay to the replacement of the Frame's shiny golden claddings, which will take about two to three months. “It’s not only because of the new [UAE Fire and Life Safety Code 2017] regulations, but we also want to give the frame a new look,” Lootah told Arabian Business. Whatever he means by "new look", we'll have to wait and see...