Nothing says Dubai like over-the-top architecture. Between the Burj Khalifa, the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, and the twisting Infinity Tower, the Dubai skyline is quite a spectacle to behold. In true Dubai fashion, however, it isn’t enough just to look at the skyline and snap a few picture of it. No, it needs to be framed for all to see. And what is the best way to do that? Through the construction of giant gilded picture frame, of course.
The Dubai Frame is currently under construction and consists of two 150-meter-tall towers linked at the top by an observation deck. The three pieces come together to form a large frame with an opening that spans 105 meters between towers. The building was originally designed to provide over 75,000 sf of space for art and photo galleries, a café, and the observation deck.
The design for the building comes from Fernando Donis and his firm, DONIS. Donis and the Dubai Frame proposal won a competition in 2009 held by ThyssenKrupp Elevator and the Dubai Municipality. The Dubai Frame was selected from a pool of 926 proposals. “Dubai is a city full of emblems,” the architect’s website reads. “Rather than adding another one, we propose to frame them all: to frame the city.” The building is being constructed in Za’abeel Park.
Despite Donis’s proposal being selected and the Frame moving toward completion, the project is making news for the wrong reasons. Donis has filed a lawsuit against the Dubai Municipality over copyright claims. Here are the claims as presented by the DONIS website:
The Dubai Municipality has transformed the design without the participation of its author. Article 29 of the UNESCO regulations stipulates that ‘no alterations may be made without the author’s formal consent’. Dubai Municipality is building the project, transforming it from a modern monument to a post-modern figurative photo-frame. Dubai Municipality gave DONIS no opportunity to meet with the team of consultants and/or local architect to discuss the potential of the project and jointly integrate the needs of the client. Despite of having confirmed in writing that DONIS would develop and follow up the project, the Dubai Municipality offered at the end an unreasonable contract, where we would need to sign off the UNESCO copyrights, and without being able to neither develop nor publish our project in any manner. No contract or payment has been signed, yet Dubai Municipality took the Dubai Frame project.
One of the changes to the original design that takes it from ‘a modern monument to a post-modern figurative photo-frame’ is the decision to cover the tower with a stainless steel golden façade. To this point, the Dubai Municipality has not commented on Donis’s claims. After a delay that pushed back the original 2015 completion date, the Dubai Frame is now scheduled to finish at the end of this year.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 90 Construction Management Firms for 2022
CBRE, Alfa Tech, Jacobs, and Hill International head the rankings of the nation's largest construction management (as agent) and program/project management firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 200 Contractors for 2022
Turner Construction, STO Building Group, Whiting-Turner, and DPR Construction top the ranking of the nation's largest general contractors, CM at risk firms, and design-builders for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 45 Engineering Architecture Firms for 2022
Jacobs, AECOM, WSP, and Burns & McDonnell top the rankings of the nation's largest engineering architecture (EA) firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 80 Engineering Firms for 2022
Kimley-Horn, Tetra Tech, Langan, and NV5 head the rankings of the nation's largest engineering firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
High-rise Construction | Aug 11, 2022
Saudi Arabia unveils plans for a one-building city stretching over 100 miles long
Saudi Arabia recently announced plans for an ambitious urban project called The Line—a one-building city in the desert that will stretch 170 kilometers (106 miles) long and only 200 meters (656 feet) wide.
Building Team | Jun 13, 2022
A mixed-used building to rise above Fort Lauderdale, with views of downtown and the ocean
ODA, a New York-based architecture and design studio, recently released renderings of Ombelle, a project including two residential towers in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Building Team | May 11, 2022
Miami to get its first supertall building
After completing its first supertall building, 111 W 57th Street in New York, developer PMG is now preparing for the groundbreaking of the first supertall in Miami: Waldorf Astoria Miami.
High-rise Construction | Apr 14, 2022
Seattle’s high-rise convention center nears completion
The new Washington State Convention Center Summit Building—billed as the first high-rise convention center in North America—is on track to complete most of its construction later this year.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 7, 2022
Ken Soble Tower becomes world’s largest residential Passive House retrofit
The project team for the 18-story high-rise for seniors slashed the building’s greenhouse gas emissions by 94 percent and its heating energy demand by 91 percent.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 28, 2022
Singapore’s new Irwell Hill residences will be built around heritage rain trees
The recently unveiled design of Irwell Hill, twin 36-story residence towers, calls for the development to be situated among copious greenery including preserved heritage rain trees.