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Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) recently signed an agreement with Aldar Properties PJSC, a leading real estate developer in Abu Dhabi, to begin construction on the first commercial Hyperloop system in the United Arab Emirates. Rendering of HyperloopTT station in UAE, in... View full entry
Azizi Developments will begin work on what will become the world’s fifth tallest skyscraper in the third quarter of the year.
Being developed at a cost of $816m (AED3bn) on Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road, the 570-metre tall, 122-storey residential and commercial tower will house residential apartments on the first 100 floors, and a luxury hotel on the remaining 22.
In an update, the Dubai-based developer said that it is currently consulting with Atkins to finalise the design based on its feedback.
— constructionweekonline.com
It looks like there's new life in a flagship development on Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road: after a previous proposal for the supertall Entisar Tower by AE7 with Meydan was sold to Azizi Developers, the company announced plans to work with global architectural firm Atkins on the designs and make the... View full entry
The design development programme for Dubai Creek Tower is fully complete.
BMT, an international design, engineering and risk management consultancy, announced that it had taken the Emaar Properties project "to 100% design development".
Wind engineering experts from BMT have completed aerodynamic shape optimisation studies, wind loading analyses, and façade wind pressure assessments for the project.
— constructionweekonline.com
Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, stopped by the Santiago Calatrava-designed Dubai Creek Tower megaproject last month and inspected the monumental foundation work of what may soon be the world's tallest building (the final height is still kept a secret but was announced to... View full entry
Underwater bedrooms, ‘Lohan Island’ and snow all year round – a decade after it was scuppered by the financial crash, the fantasy archipelago of 300 artificial ‘countries’ is back in business. Has anybody learned anything? — The Guardian
Remember The World? Dubai's lofty vision a decade-and-a-half ago to recreate the globe's map with artificial, celebrity-owned islands dredged from the Gulf floor that was just as grandiose and monumental as its financial crash in 2008? Well, it appears to be back in business again. The Guardian's... View full entry
But the building has proven controversial for other reasons. The 50-storey portal may be the tallest picture frame in the world, but its architect wants to add another title to the stats: for him, it is the biggest stolen building of all time.
“They took my project, changed the design and built it without me,” says Fernando Donis, the Mexican architect whose frame proposal won an international competition in 2008 for a “tall emblem structure to promote the new face of Dubai”.
— The Guardian
The controversial Dubai Frame opened to the public yesterday, finally offering tourists a 360-degree view of the city. While construction only began in 2013, the new 150 meter landmark has been a decade in the making, blighted by controversy surrounding its stolen design. Beginning with a... View full entry
Though the financial crisis put a crimp in Masdar City’s ambitions too, it's now expanding around its compact urban core, with a new apartment complex nearing completion and plans for 5,000 homes. And the international publicity the project received from the start helped break the resistance to green ideas throughout the UAE — National Geographic
For their Urban Expeditions (Exploring Sustainable City Solutions Around the World) series, Robert Kunzig examines the challenges and opportunities facing Dubai, which by 2050, plans to have the world's smallest carbon footprint. View full entry
Building within the 2.3 square-mile Dubai Creek Harbour complex, Emaar is looking to eclipse its most famous creation the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest structure since 2010. To do so has required laying 236ft deep foundation piles—a world record—set to be capped with 1.59 million cubic feet of concrete. When completed, the 3,045ft tower will best the Burj by a massive 322ft. — CNN
The Emaar Properties and Dubai Holdings joint venture is inspired by the lily flower and mosque minarets, say its developers, and will feature a 68-mile array of supporting cables. Swiss-Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has designed a 360-degree observation deck and a capacious Hanging Gardens... View full entry
The Dubai Frame is quickly taking shape in the heart of the city, providing breathtaking views of 'old' and 'new' Dubai.
A Dubai Municipality delegation on Thursday has given residents a sneak peek into one of the upcoming iconic structures in the city. [...]
The work has already started on the frame's glass bridge, and the cladding is expected to be completed by the end of this year, a top senior Dubai Municipality official had told Khaleej Times earlier this year.
— Khaleej Times
Construction work on Dubai's latest gilded landmark appears to be making progress as the Dubai Municipality documented today in a new social media video of a city government delegation visiting the site. The design of the 150-meter-tall Dubai Frame structure isn't without controversy: the concept... View full entry
Behemoth practice Foster + Partners have worked extensively on the Arabian Peninsula. Now, they’re looking to further their involvement in the region by opening a regional office in Dubai, where they’ve already built major projects including The Index as well as two Apple stores. Located in... View full entry
After securing the commission in a fierce competition, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture revealed their design of the Al Wasl Plaza for the World Expo 2020 in Dubai. As the Expo's last major design element to be finalized, AS+GG's building will stand among other major pavilions designed by... View full entry
The architecture giant Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) has announced that they will open a new office in Dubai, a move intended to further their presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The office will be led by Thomas Behr, who will oversee all operations in the... View full entry
By placing a semi-transparent facade onto a series of former industrial warehouses in Dubai, OMA has created an arts-oriented, multi-disclipinary space called "Concrete." The completed version doesn't quite match the firm's optimistic renderings (in part because the concrete ameliorating foliage... View full entry
Raised as a monument to Dubai’s aspirations as a center of international commerce, the Frame is now a physical manifestation of the crude system that erected it. — The New York Times
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... View full entry
Hot on the heels of announcing a new initiative to build a miniature city on Mars, the Dubai government has unveiled the first successfully-tested Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV)—aka a flying car. Apparently, they will begin operations as early as July.Manufactured by the Chinese company EHANG... View full entry
The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has announced intentions to build a “miniature city” on Mars within the next 100 years, reports Arabian Business. Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, launched the project at the World... View full entry
