The Dubai Media Office has released six computer-generated images of Dubai Steps, a 100-meter-high structure with 500 steps that this United Arab Emirate city is hoping will become its next iconic landmark.
The 25-story Dubai Steps was one of six projects that municipal officials announced last April. However, details about the steps since then have been scant. No construction date has been set, and officials have not made public the name of the architect or the cost of this project.
Even its location hasn’t been nailed down yet, although Gulf News and other media outlets report that possible locations include the area next to Union Square in Deira (which in recent years has been losing its importance as a commercial center), Dubai Creek, and Dubai Marina.
Time Out Dubai reports that in a story shared by Dubai Media Office from Arabic website emaratalyoum.com, the city’s Assistant Director General for Engineering and Planning at Dubai Municipality revealed it would take no more than a year to construct the 500-step tower.
Khaleej Times adds that Dubai Steps would serve as a continuation of other vertical projects like Dubai Frame, which is nearing completion in Zabeel Park.
The 100-meter-tall structure would be a continuation of Dubai's multiple vertical construction projects. Image: Dubai Media Office
The Dubai Steps would include rest stops every 100 steps for tourists on their ascent to the top. Image: Dubai Media Office.
Dubai Steps would facilitate tourism and sports, say local officials. The structure would include five dedicated rest and event areas (every 100 steps) for visitors who are making the long walk to the top platform.
Predictably, the Dubai Steps project is already getting some ribbing, including one comparison to the “Escalator to Nowhere” on “The Simpsons.”
Related Stories
| Dec 12, 2014
SOM names winner of One World Trade Center photo contest
Gerry Padden's winning photo offers a striking juxtaposition of the Brooklyn Bridge with the sparkling One World Trade Center tower.
| Dec 4, 2014
10 tallest buildings to be completed in 2015
This year has seen the completion of many signature tall buildings, including the One World Trade Center. CNN reports that 2015 promises to be another busy year for skyscraper construction across the globe.
High-rise Construction | Dec 1, 2014
ThyssenKrupp develops world’s first rope-free elevator system
ThyssenKrupp's latest offering, named MULTI, will allow several cabins in the same shaft to move vertically and horizontally.
| Nov 29, 2014
20 tallest towers that were never completed
Remember the Chicago Spire? What about Russia Tower? These are two of the tallest building projects that were started, but never completed, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The CTBUH Research team offers a roundup of the top 20 stalled skyscrapers across the globe.
| Nov 24, 2014
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill-designed crystalline tower breaks ground in southwestern China
Fitted with an LED façade, the 468-meter Greenland Tower Chengdu will act as a light sculpture for the city of Chengdu.
| Nov 24, 2014
OMA morphs Miami condo tower development plan
Initially, the design included six slim towers to be set on the Miami shoreline, but the cylinders have been nudged into pairs to form three larger towers.
| Nov 11, 2014
Renzo Piano's third building at London Bridge Quarter approved, will be built adjacent to the Shard
Renzo Piano Building Workshop has been granted planning approval for its residential building at London Bridge Quarter—a 26-story apartment tower dubbed Feilden House.
| Nov 6, 2014
Hines planning tall wood office building in Minneapolis
The Houston-based developer is planning a seven-story wood-framed office building in Minneapolis’ North Loop that will respect the neighborhood’s historic warehouse district look.
| Oct 31, 2014
Dubai plans world’s next tallest towers
Emaar Properties has unveiled plans for a new project containing two towers that will top the charts in height, making them the world’s tallest towers once completed.
| Oct 27, 2014
Studio Gang Architects designs residential tower with exoskeleton-like exterior for Miami
Jeanne Gang's design reinvents the Florida room with shaded, asymmetrical balconies.
