A Giant Interactive Glass and Gold Picture Frame Sculpture That Stands 150 Meters Above Dubai

The city of Dubai is known for its devotion to opulence and its newest addition to the skyline is no exception, though not without its own controversy. Mexican architect Fernando Donis submitted his original frame design in 2008 to the ThyssenKrupp Elevator Architecture Award – Dubai and won first prize. When it was time to build, however, Donis was required to sign over his rights to the design. Donis explained his vision in an interview with The Guardian.

They took my project, changed the design and built it without me …Instead of another massive structure I proposed a void. Something that would frame all the other landmarks.

Despite the controversy, The Dubai Frame was built in Zabeel Park and opened on January 1, 2018. The Frame stands 150 meters high above the city with a 100 meter bridge between the towers the offers spectacular views of the city’s most iconic sights.

The location of the giant rectangular frame is Zabeel Park and was carefully chosen to give visitors the best view of both old and new Dubai. The project comprises a 150-metre-high, 93-metre-wide structure being built to resemble a huge picture frame, through which landmarks representing modern Dubai such as Emirates Towers and Burj Khalifa can be seen on one side, while from the other side, visitors can view older parts of the city such as Deira, Umm Harare and Karama.

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via The Guardian, My Modern Met

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.