Since 2nd December 1971, when the UAE as we know it was founded, famous buildings in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah have been bound together by an unwritten mission of putting the UAE in headlines around the world. After all, few achievements can catapult a country onto the global stage like glass ceiling-shattering buildings can: The pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal, Buckingham Palace, Great Wall of China and Empire State Building in New York, are just some examples of how architecture has come to be a manifestation of the ambitions of a nation, a symbol of scientific advancements of its time and a beacon of hope for the future.
In its current form, the UAE is a young nation, only 53 years old, but its leaders have understood the soft power of architecture from early on. From the Burj Al Arab that instantly put Dubai on everyone's radar in 1999 and has since, laid the blueprint for its dazzling skyline, to the Louvre Abu Dhabi that redrafted the city's image as a hub for culture and arts in the Middle East, buildings in the UAE are setting the gold standard for architecture around the world.
We present the most famous buildings in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah that have transformed the country into a playground for boundary-pushing architecture.
Sheikh Rashid Tower, Dubai
If there is any one building in the UAE which could be held as the starting point of its sprint towards the future, it would be the Sheikh Rashid Tower at the World Trade Centre in Dubai. Today, its 150 metres height is surpassed by many new buildings, but in when construction began in 1974, and for many years to come, this building that still serves as as the gateway to Dubai's skyscraper-lined Sheikh Zayed Road was considered the tallest in the Middle East. The 39-story Sheikh Rashid Tower was designed by John R Harris and in 1979 it was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II. It held the position of the tallest building in the Middle East for over two decades, when it was surpassed by the Burj Al Arab in 1999.
Burj Al Arab, Dubai
Simply put, this is the building that put Dubai on the global map and set the blueprint for the emirate to become the global hub for audacious architecture that is it now. A luxury hotel with no parallel, it was designed by the multidisciplinary consultancy Atkins, led by architect Tom Wright, and draws its iconic shape from the billowing sail of a dhow boat. Built on an artificial island off the coast of Dubai's Jumeirah beach, Burj Al Arab opened on 1st December 1999. The hotel's cantilevered helipad, designed by Irish architect Rebecca Gernon, has served as a suspended car race track, a boxing ring and has even hosted a friendly tennis match between Andre Agassi and Roger Federer. One of the most exclusive (and most expensive) hotels in the world, it's interiors have often drawn contradicting reviews, but we can all agree that the building and its 5,000 tonnes heavy floating deck are masterful feats of engineering.
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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi
The dream of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE, the Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in the country. Constructed between 1994 and 2007, it is also a symbol of the nation's inclusive spirit, welcoming people of all faith to explore the marble-clad wonder. Designed under the watch of Syrian architect Youssef Abdelke who sought inspiration from Persian, Mughal and Indo-Islamic architecture, it is known for its with Moorish, gold-clad archways and towering minarets, the quintessential Arab features. Measuring 17,000 square-metres, its monumental courtyard boasts a floral design, considered to be the largest example of marble mosaic in the world.
Emirates Towers, Dubai
In the 1990s HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, launched a global design competition for a twin towers concept that would be a symbol of the emirate's growing financial might. The winning design, authored by architect Hazel Wong was a pair of buildings with unmistakable, fountain-pen like pinnacles – perfect for the man who was rewriting history. Derived from two equilateral triangles, the slender form of the buildings (and indeed all iconography in the complex, from the paving design to the lighting and wayfinding signage), pay homage to traditional Islamic themes. One of the buildings is a luxury hotel and the other a commercial tower where the ruler of Dubai has his offices and is frequently seen riding the escalators with his security detail.
Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah
Opened in 2009, Sharjah Art Foundation is a true pioneer of mindful design, both in its re-use of historic buildings from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and in its multi-layered blend of exhibitions, experiences and architectural excellence. Located in Sharjah’s historical quarter, it boasts galleries, shops and restaurants. A big draw is the Flying Saucer, a revitalised 1970s Brutalist landmark, where you’ll find exhibition spaces, a café and a library. To its mix of older buildings, it has added two contemporary structures: one with a permanent installation and another housing artists’ studios.
Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Currently the tallest skyscraper in the world, the more-than-half-a-mile-high Burj Khalifa stands at such a height that it is hard to capture it entirely in a single photograph. In person, it is just as impressive. As the anchor of the mixed commercial and residential Downtown Dubai district (and a marker of the emirate’s new shift toward global tourism), its façade is activated often with a dancing light and laser show. Designed by Adrian Smith when he was an architect for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and completed in 2009, the tubular tower invites visitors to its 124th floor observation deck for incredible views of the Gulf.
Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi
Since opening in 2017, the Louvre Abu Dhabi has aspired to be for the Middle East what its Parisian sibling is for France: a bastion of national culture. It’s made a great start, welcoming visitors in their millions and offering a diverse rosta of exhibitions (to date, Impressionism followed by Bollywood; coming soon, an exploration of Cartier’s Islamic inspirations). Many visitors are lured by French architect Jean Nouvel’s extraordinary building, a seemingly floating dome suspended over tidal pools that suggests a museum on the sea. The web-patterned dome casts magical dappled shadows inside; this high-tech structure is tessellated with 7,580 aluminium stars.
Museum of The Future, Dubai
A bold name deserves a bold building – something delivered with aplomb by Dubai practice Killa Design. Envisioned as an incubator of scientific research, the Museum of the Future is a place to stretch your mind; one exhibit invites visitors to imagine life in 2071. The eye-shaped building itself is already iconic: constructed using cutting-edge robotic technology and parametric design (a process based on algorithms), it’s 77 metres high but has no internal pillars, and is clad with 1,024 steel panels, the same as the basic unit of digital information stored on a computer. Symbolic LED calligraphy on the façade heightens its landmark appeal.
Bee'ah HQ, Sharjah
Inspired by the desert dunes of Sharjah, this 9,000-square-metre HQ of the Bee'ah Group, an environmental management company, is a pioneering example of sustainable architecture that meets LEED Platinum standards ,the highest green building certification in the world. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects as a series of 'interconnected dunes' that blend with the desert, it combines passive design principles with future-forward innovations such as a solar array linked to Tesla battery packs, to envision a net-zero energy building of the future.
Dubai Frame
Soaring 150 metres above Zabeel Park, this surreal sight – a slender picture frame with a hollow in middle – is now a familiar sight to both to UAE residents and those visiting Dubai. Dubai Frame was imagined as time portal of sorts, a landmark that would connect the past, present and the future of the city – and thus, its location is paramount: An elevator takes visitors to the top of the frame, where from a 93-metre long viewing gallery (with a glass floor), they can look back at Old Dubai in the north - with views of Karama, Diera and Dubai Creek – as well as the glistening towers in the south (think Sheikh Zayed Road and beyond) that signal the city's bright future.
Atlantis The Royal, Dubai
When Beyonce gives a private concert for your hotel opening, there is not much else you need to become the most talked about resort in the world. That is exactly what happened with Atlantis The Royal, Dubai's shiny new building located on the Palm Jumeirah island. But there is so much more to this hotel that its links to a certain singing sensation. Designed by the NYC-based architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates as a ‘deconstruction’ of the supertall skyscrapers Dubai is known for, it appears like a playful jenga tower with the Arabian gulf in the background. The 500-metre-long, 178-metre-tall structure is punctuated with monumental voids that evoke a modern mashrabiya (an Arabic privacy screen) and create a beautiful connection between land, air and sea.
