Supertalls & Modern Icons

The UAE, especially Dubai, is the world's testing ground for supertall architecture — buildings over 300 meters high that push the boundaries of what is possible.

The Key Structures

• Burj Khalifa (828 m, 2010): Architect Adrian Smith (SOM). Y-shaped floor plan, inspired by the desert flower Hymenocallis. The tallest building in the world, which made Dubai the capital of architecture.
• Burj Al Arab (321 m, 1999): Architect Tom Wright (Atkins). The sail-shaped silhouette on an artificial island is probably the most iconic hotel building in the world.
• Museum of the Future (2022): Killa Design. A torus-shaped structure without columns, its stainless steel facade covered with Arabic calligraphy. Named one of the "14 most beautiful museums in the world" by National Geographic.
• Louvre Abu Dhabi (2017): Jean Nouvel. A flat, waterfront museum with a 180 m wide dome made of 7,850 metal stars, creating a "rain of light."
• Cayan Tower (307 m, 2013): Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. A residential tower that twists around its own axis — a 90° twist from base to top. Located in the Dubai Marina.
• The Opus (2020): Zaha Hadid. A cube-shaped building with an amorphous void in the center — as if a hole had been melted into a glass block. Houses the ME by Meliá Hotel.
• Dubai Frame (150 m, 2018): Fernando Donis. The golden picture frame that frames Old and New Dubai — as simple as it is ingenious.

Sustainability

Despite (or because of) the climatic extremes, the UAE is investing massively in sustainable architecture:

• Masdar City (Abu Dhabi): An eco-city intended to be fully powered by renewable energy. Designed by Foster + Partners. Still under construction, but parts are already habitable and visitable (free of charge).
• Expo 2020 District 2020: The former Expo site will be repurposed as a sustainable urban development — the iconic Al Wasl Dome remains.
• Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park: Upon completion, it will be the largest solar park in the world (5,000 MW). Visitor tours available.