Project Description

The Dubai Frame

Project details

Client: Dubai Municipality

Location: Dubai, UAE

Consultant: HYDER consulting

The Dubai Frame (Arabic: يبد زاورب ‎) is an architectural landmark in Zabeel Park, Dubai. It has been described as “the biggest picture frame on the planet”.

As if Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the iconic 829.8-meter (2,722-foot) structure – the tallest in the world, was not enough, the city has come out with another gigantic marvel. This time it is the Dubai Frame, an iconic structure that ‘frames’ impressive views of Old and New Dubai, while serving as a metaphorical bridge connecting the emirate’s rich past with its magnificent present. Offering spectacular panoramic views across the city, Dubai Frame celebrates the story of Dubai from its early establishment to its ambitious plans for future development.

Dubai Frame Zabeel Park

The design was selected as the winner of the 2009 ThyssenKrupp Elevator International Award from 926 proposals. Participants from all over the world were invited to submit an emblem that would promote “the new face for Dubai”. It is conveniently located near Zabeel Palace and stands at 150.24 m and 95.53 m wide.

The Dubai Frame 50-storey structure covered in gold-coloured stainless steel cladding uses reinforced concrete, steel, aluminium, and glass. It is positioned in such a way that representative landmarks of modern Dubai can be seen on one side, while from the other side, visitors can also view older parts of the city. It has been provided with a 93-meter-long (305-foot-long) viewing bridge with glass-floored walkways that takes some guts to walk on, what with the sheer drop that can be seen through the clear glass floor

  • 150m Height of the Frame’s vertical sides
  • 93m Length of the horizontal ‘sky deck’
  • 25m2 Area of glass panel in the middle of the sky deck offering a 360-degree view over the city
  • 50 Storeys tall
  • 116m2 Switchable smart-glass panels in the floor of the bridge change from translucent to transparent as visitors walk across
  • 2,900m2 Laminated glass used in construction
  • 4 Number of giant hydraulic jacks that took two days to raise the central bridge, at a speed of 3.5mm per second
  • 4 Elevators designed by ThyssenKrupp to take visitors to the top in a 75-second ascent
  • 9,900 Cubic metres of concrete used in base and legs
  • 2,000 tonnes Steel used in construction