The world’s largest picture frame has made its stamp on Dubai.
Dubai is well known for its exciting nightlife, fancy shops, and most especially for its ground-breaking, modern architecture. It’s a futuristic, innovative kind of place; whether you’re looking at the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab or the tallest building in the entire world: the Burj Khalifa, it’s pretty impressive.
Honestly, I’m just surprised the leader of Dubai hasn’t bragged about the size of his building yet. I don’t know if I would have less or more respect if he did. Speaking of bragging about size in a totally-not-insecure way, some guy decided to make a really, really, big picture frame.
Named – perhaps not shockingly – the Dubai Frame, renowned architect Fernando Donis is responsible for designing this beast. Donis also designed the Dubai Renaissance Tower as well as Dubai’s Porsche Design Towers. Not gonna lie, that’s not a bad resume.
Created from reinforced concrete, aluminium, steel, and a 25-square-metre glass panel that stands in its centre, this building clocks in at a monstrous 150-metres height. This structure was made for the purpose of capturing some of Dubai’s most impressive architecture (such as the aforementioned Burj Khalifa).
Creating architecture that frames the feats of other iconic architecture is a way of having the city call attention to itself. You don’t need to take a picture or do a painting because the biggest and most impressive picture is already there, you can’t really top it. And as gargantuan as it is, there’s something fairly humble about constructing such a colossal building with other buildings in mind. It’s art celebrating art.
The Dubai Frame has already been predicted to be a site of major interest for tourists and it’s easy to see why.
If Dubai hasn’t taken your fancy, check out these other must-see destinations.