Public monument or postmodern pastiche? Towering Dubai Frame opens to public
The world’s largest frame has opened in Dubai, offering a surreal and symbolic perspective of the emirate’s architectural landmarks.
The structure, which measures 150m (492ft) high and 93m (305ft) wide, is formed of two towers in Zabeel Park. The towers are connected by a 100sq m (1,076sq ft) bridge located 48 storeys above the ground, from which visitors can observe the surrounding cityscape. At ground level, the resultant rectangle frames towers including the Burj Khalifa – the world's tallest building.
The Dhs160m (US$43.5m, €36.2m, £32.3m) project, called the Dubai Frame, was originally designed by Mexican architect Fernando Donis following an international competition in 2009 – although he has claimed he was pushed aside following the win, with the building redesigned without him.
Elements incorporated since then include the golden-hued exterior, inspired by the logo of the Dubai Expo 2020.
In 2014, Donis warned in an open letter that “the project is being transformed from being non-figurative architecture to an overscale figurative photo frame... That is, from being a modern, public monument to a postmodern pastiche”.
In a recent interview with the Guardian, he said: “They took my project, changed the design and built it without me”, adding “[I] would like it to have been much more subtle, with less décor.”
However, he conceded in the same interview that the result “does precisely what I wanted” and “seems to work on the skyline exactly as we proposed”.
“It is fantastic to see it materialised,” he said.
The Dubai Municipality has previously claimed the Frame will attract as many as two million tourists a year, and a museum on the ground floor has opened showcasing Dubai’s transformation from fishing village to metropolis.
Starting from the mezzanine level, projections, mist effects, smells and motion evoke the feeling of being in old Dubai.
Visitors are taken up to the bridge’s partially glass-floored Sky deck to experience 360-degree views of the present Dubai, with augmented reality activated screens identifying buildings and landmarks.
Finally, they exit via the elevator onto the mezzanine floor and pass through a swirl tunnel with special audio and visual effects designed to create an illusion of time travel taking them into the city 50 years in the future.
A video tour of the new attraction can be viewed below:
Dubai Frame Dubai Zabeel Park Fernando Donis

Swedish architects Wingårdhs create year-round resort with waterpark and hotel for Liseberg

Juneteenth Museum by Bjarke Ingels Group has been designed to inspire spiritual uplift

BIG and HOK's timber concept wins Zurich Airport competition

Christoph Ingenhoven reveals Lanserhof Sylt, featuring the largest thatched roof in Europe

BIG's designs Prague concert hall to be vibrant centre of life

Mather & Co-designed Gretna Green Experience opens to the public

Project to save last major bellfoundry which cast bells for St Paul's and Washington National Cathedral

Perkins & Will reveals designs for net-zero sports and cultural centre in Toronto

World’s first living waterslides announced for Therme Manchester

Heatherwick reveals Volcano-inspired opera house designs for Hainan

Natural history museum planned for Abu Dhabi

Controversial London music venue, MSG Sphere, gets full planning permission

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Clifford's Tower opens to the public after £5m redevelopment

Glasgow's iconic Burrell Collection reopens after five-year, £68.5m revamp

SB Architects delivers Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Costa Rica with tree-house spa and private residences

Ole Scheeren designs vertical jungle resort complex in China

Designer Brian d’Souza launches Swell to create evocative soundscapes for physical environments

Basalt Architects create geothermal Forest Lagoon in the wilds of Iceland

Hot Pickle design £73m Guinness visitor attraction for Diageo in London

Amsterdam's new digital art centre Fabrique des Lumières will use tech to bring art alive

Pharrell Williams to launch tropical Bahamian beach resort

Banyan Tree curating solar-powered wellness retreat on private Mozambican island

Dubai Expo hits 10 million visits

Foster + Partners designs Dorchester Collection's first hotel in Middle East

Neil Jacobs reveals Six Senses Places concept for major cities

Orient Express returns to Italy after 46 years with six trains designed by Dimorestudio and new Rome hotel

400-year-old mineral spring will power Preidlhof’s €2m medicinal bath experience

Universal Beijing Resort reveals expansion plans for second phase
