dubai has opened its latest landmark attraction — a giant picture frame that presents contrasting views of the city’s historic and modern buildings. located in zabeel park, the appropriately titled ‘dubai frame’ is made from two 150 meter-tall towers (492 feet), connected at the top by a 93 meter (305 feet) glass bridge with 360 degree panoramic views. closer to the ground, the project also houses a museum that shows the city’s journey from a small fishing village to a bustling metropolis.


image courtesy of the dubai frame | video courtesy of khaleej times

 

 

the monuments of the old city are visible from one side of the frame, while from the other you can see skyscrapers such as burj khalifa — the world’s tallest building. at its peak, the dubai frame features a state-of-the-art clear glass bridge, which has been described as ‘completely crack-proof’. the frame is clad with a decorative gold pattern that celebrates the upcoming EXPO in 2020. admission to the new venue costs AED 50 ($13.50 USD) for adults and 20 AUD ($5.50 USD) for children.

 

 

 

 

 

despite the intrigue that surrounds the landmark’s opening, the frame has also been the subject of controversy. in a recent interview with the guardian, architect fernando donis — who won the project’s international competition in 2008 — claims that dubai stole his idea and sought to limit his involvement in its realization. ‘they took my project, changed the design and built it without me,’ says donis. read the full feature here.

philip stevens I designboom
jan 08, 2018

  • What is new? Dubai used to be a home for thieves, gold smugglers and low-grade criminals. So not surprised if Fernando donis was shafted. Among the world of Architects, there also lives a conniving design thief in New York who stepped over other architects in a competition, to take the new WTC as only his, by collaborating with the Developer, and you would’ve thought that AIA may disbar him for life, oh no, and that never happened either!

    E. Khaja says:
    Jan 15, 2018
    Reply

have something to add? share your thoughts in our comments section below.

comments policy
LOG IN
designboom's comment policy guidelines
generally speaking, if we publish something, it's because we're genuinely interested in the subject. we hope you'll share this interest and if you know even more about it, please share! our goal in the discussion threads is to have good conversation and we prefer constructive opinions. we and our readers have fun with entertaining ones. designboom welcomes alerts about typos, incorrect names, and the like.
the correction is at the discretion of the post editor and may not happen immediately.

what if you disagree with what we or another commenter has to say?
let's hear it! but please understand that offensive, inappropriate, or just plain annoying comments may be deleted or shortened.

- please do not make racist, sexist, anti-semitic, homophobic or otherwise offensive comments.
- please don't personally insult the writers or your fellow commenters.
- please avoid using offensive words, replacing a few letters with asterisks is not a valid workaround.
- please don't include your website or e-mail address in your comments for the purpose of self-promotion.
- please respect jury verdicts and do not discuss offensively on the competition results
(there is only one fist prize, and designboom usually asks renown professionals to help us to promote talent.
in addition to the awarded designs, we do feel that almost all deserve our attention, that is why we publish
the best 100-200 entries too.)

a link is allowed in comments as long as they add value in the form of information, images, humor, etc. (links to the front page of your personal blog or website are not okay). unwelcome links (to commercial products or services of others, offensive material etc. ) will be redacted. and, ... yes, spam gets banned. no, we do not post fake comments.

forgot password

(50 articles)

PRODUCT LIBRARY

a diverse digital database that acts as a valuable guide in gaining insight and information about a product directly from the manufacturer, and serves as a rich reference point in developing a project or scheme.

architecture news

interview with titan: an emerging french firm on the rise interview with titan: an emerging french firm on the rise
apr 22, 2018

interview with titan: an emerging french firm on the rise

#architecture

to learn more about the firm, designboom spoke with its founding partners who discussed their creative approach and some of the major projects they are currently »

to learn more about the firm, designboom spoke with its founding partners who discussed their creative approach and some of the major projects they are currently working on.

#architecture
zaha hadid architects plans school in rural china using robotic construction techniques zaha hadid architects plans school in rural china using robotic construction techniques
apr 19, 2018

zaha hadid architects plans school in rural china using robotic construction techniques

#architecture

composed as a network of barrel and parabolic vaults that open towards the river, the volumes stretch and intersect to accommodate the school's varied program.

composed as a network of barrel and parabolic vaults that open towards the river, the volumes stretch and intersect to accommodate the school's varied program.

#architecture

all architecture news