The tallest and most famous skyscrapers in Dubai

A nose-in-the-air itinerary to discover the most iconic

It is the endlessly surprising city, never tired of breaking and setting Guinness records. That is the reason why not only Dubai’s skyscrapers are very tall- spoiler warning: the world’s tallest skyscraper is in Dubai- but they are also engineering feats whose ultramodern shapes brave the force of gravity and human imagination, leaving you lost for words and creating a unique skyline to which some of the greatest names of contemporary architecture have contributed. We have gone on a tour of this amazing ‘forest’, in search of the most beautiful and peculiar skyscrapers, both those already completed and those under construction, accompanied by architect Alessio Belloni, from the Dubai Alessio LLC firm, in charge of the design and project planning of the Sharjah Royal Palace- of which he completely redesigned the interiors- of the Abu Alkizan, a village in the Khorfakkan area inspired by Rio Maggiore and Portofino, and of the expansion of the Expo Centre Sharjah, in addition to many projects across the world, from China to America through his country of origin, Italy, the ongoing source of inspiration for his works.

Burj Al Arab (currently closed for extensive renovations that will last 18 months)

Iconic to say the least. It is the spectacular sail-shaped tower designed by Tom Wright to resemble an Arabian dhow and which houses the world’s tallest hotel with only suite rooms (199). Inside are over 24,000 square meters of statuary marble, about 1,800 square meters of 24-carat gold leaf and the world’s largest Swarovski ceiling with 21,000 crystals. It was built on an artificial island 280 meters off the coast, connected to the mainland through a 340-meter-long bridge. Its helipad, which rises above the Arabian Gulf at a height of 212 meters, was the setting for historical events such as the match between Andre Agassi and Roger Federer in 2005 and kiteboarder Nick Jacobsen’s leap.

Burj Khalifa

And here is the world’s tallest skyscraper and freestanding structure: an 830-meter-tall building with over 160 floors, designed by the American firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and inaugurated in 2010. Burj Khalifa holds many other records, including the world’s fastest-moving elevator: 1 minute and 23 seconds to reach the top of the building at a speed of about 35 Km/h. The 38th and 39th floors house the Armani Hotel Dubai’s luxurious suite rooms, designed by the famous fashion designer himself. There are several observation decks along the tower, such as the terraces accessible by buying a ticket: At the Top, on the 124th and 125th floor, and At the Top Sky, on the 148th floor, that is, at a height of 555 meters.

Museum of the Future

How can you not be speechless before the stunning torus-shaped building of the Museum of the Future, one of the world’s top 14 museums according to the National Geographic, opened on 2/22/22 (the date is not a coincidence)? The windows’ intricate design form the lines of a poem in Arabic handwriting by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The museum’s solar plant generates 4.000 megawatts of electricity which powers the building year by year.

One Za'abeel - The link

Cubic? Spiral? Elliptical? So why not horizontal? It is called The Link, the skyscraper that connects the two towers of the One Za’abeel complex (304 and 241 meters respectively), designed to house the One&Only Hotel and residential apartments. The Link is a walkway suspended above the ground across the 23rd and 25th floors, 225-meter-long and 100-meter tall, with a spectacular 360° view over Za’abeel Park, Downtown Dubai and Dubai Creek.

Cayan Tower

We’re at the Dubai Marina, at the ‘Infinity Tower’, the world’s tallest spiral-shaped building with a twist of 90 degrees: 307 meters and 75 floors. Its distinctive shape is not only visually impressive, but is also an engineering feat, designed by the award-winning architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill SOM. The supporting structure is in reinforced high-strength concrete and the twisting design was achieved by rotating each floor 1,2 degrees.

The Opus

It is the only hotel in the world entirely designed by architect Zaha Hadid: the ME Dubai, in the heart of the Business Bay. The ‘Queen of Curves’, the nickname she was known by, died in 2016, so she could not attend the inauguration (2020), but the building bears the mark of her unmistakable style. The Opus was designed as two separate glass towers that coalesce into a singular whole in the form of a ‘carved’ cube, whose fluidity contrasts with the precise geometry of the surrounding structure. So the width (100 meters) equalizes the height (93 meters) for a total of 84,300 square meters.

Franck Muller Aeternitas

The lucky future residents will have to wait a bit more (probably 2026/27), but the amazing project that marks the entrance of the famous luxury watchmaking brand Franck Muller into the real estate market has already gone done in history. At the top of the tall tower, at a height of 450 meters, is a huge clock rising above the over 100 floors that house luxury apartments furnished with mosaics, Swarovski chandeliers and marble or parquet floorings.