Dubai is famous for its decadent hotels and record-breaking buildings. Now, the city is continuing to push the boundaries when it comes to architecture, with a 26-story skyscraper that has been designed to look like an iPod. Suitably called The Pad, the residential building is located in Business Bay in central Dubai. Inspired by Apple’s iPods and iPads, the building was designed by Hong Kong-based architecture firm James Law Cybertecture, which beat out stiff competition with its intriguing and unique proposal. Due to open at the end of the year, the building also includes a number of futuristic technological features that will allow the inhabitants to program their own software, such as mood lighting, voice control, biometric locks, and mirrors that can monitor health. Construction began in 2007, but was suspended in 2009, only to be restarted in 2013 again. Upon completion, The Pad will house 256 apartments, ranging from studios, to one- and three-bedroom duplexes overlooking the Dubai canal. The structure of the building is inclined at 6.5 degrees, as the leaning tower references the original iPod device on a charging dock. “Traditionally, architecture is a piece of concrete structure that contains conventional spaces to live or work. The Pad was conceived as the start of a new generation of architecture that is more akin to smart phones, where the buildings are programmable with software to match the needs of individual inhabitants. The concept came from designing the building to mimic a giant iPod,” architect James Law said.

The city of Dubai is home to some of the most innovative architecture in the world, but its latest skyscraper is certainly one of the most “picturesque” we’ve ever seen. The Dubai Frame, otherwise known as the “World’s Largest Picture Frame”, is a 150-meter-high rectangular structure which unique shape frames stunning views of the city’s growing skyline, including the iconic Burj Khalifa. The Dubai Frame opened to tourists and residents after five years in the making on the 1st January 2018. Now, visitors can take in 360-degree views from the 25-square-meter glass panel in the sky bridge’s center. Dubai’s newest landmark is now open to the public and allows visitors to see the city’s past, present, and future in a one-hour tour with unique views of “old” and “new” Dubai from a 150-meter-high glass 93-meter long sky bridge. The location, in Zabeel Park, was especially chosen to give visitors the best view of the city’s older neighborhoods as well as the sparkling new buildings, such as the Burj Khalifa, while telling the story of Dubai’s transformation from humble fishing village to glittering modern metropolis. The project was launched by Dubai Municipality in 2013, and anticipation has been building for the past five years. The unique skyscraper is expected to attract nearly 2 million tourists annually. The Frame is now open daily from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. and is priced at just $US 13.61 for adults and $US 5.45 for children, while adults over 60 and people of determination can visit for free. In 2008, the Dubai Municipality and ThyssenKrupp Elevators hosted an international design competition searching for the city’s next amazing skyscraper. Architect Fernando Donis’s design was chosen as the winner of the competition. However, when it came time to collaborate on the construction of the project, the architect and the city failed to agree on contractual terms. Nonetheless, the city went on with the project, breaking ground in 2014, which resulted in Donis filing an Intellectual Property claim against the city for copyright infringement. On the ground floor museum, visitors will have the chance to take in an innovative augmented reality display that follows Dubai’s transformation from a remote fishing village to a bustling metropolis.