The Dubai Frame is an architectural landmark in Zabeel Park, Dubai. It has been described by The Guardian newspaper as "the biggest picture frame on the planet,” however is also controversial as the "biggest stolen building of all time.” The project was conceived by Fernando Donis, and selected as the winner of a design competition by the Government of Dubai. It is alleged that the designer had his intellectual property stolen and was denied credit for the design. It holds the record for the largest frame in the world.
Architecture competition
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 near the Star Gate of Zabeel Park and stands at and 95.53 m wide. The ThyssenKrupp Elevator Architecture Award is an international architecture competition first held in 1988 and sponsored by one of the world's leading elevator companies. An international panel of judges selected the winning idea from among 926 design proposals to create a Tall Emblem Structure for Dubai. The original jury consisted of 11 international architects — a former and current chairman of the International Union of Architects and the regional chairman of ThyssenKrupp Elevator. Dubai Municipality’s director general and H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum were listed as ‘honorary’ jurors. Donis' design was ultimately selected, for which he won an AED 367329.70 prize. According to Donis, when designing the structure he saw Dubai as a city full of emblems and rather than adding another one, they proposed to frame them all: to frame the city. Instead of building a massive structure, the purpose of the proposal was to build a void of 150 meters by 105 meters to continuously frame the development of the past, current and future Dubai. To become the structure that celebrates yet constrains the city.
Design
The Dubai Frame is created out of glass, steel, aluminum, and reinforced concrete. 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. The Frame opened in January 2018.
Lawsuit
In December 2016, the architect Fernando Donis filed suit in US court against the Municipality of Dubai and ThyssenKrupp Elevator. In his suit, Donis claims that he has not received either a contract or compensation for his design, despite it being currently under construction. As of 2018, the architect and the Municipality of Dubai were engaged in a legal dispute over ownership of the copyright for the building.
