By : UNStudio Werner Sobek
The 302-meter-tall Wasl Tower is located close to the Burj Kahlifa on Sheikh Zayed Road in Downtown Dubai. It was created by UNStudio and Werner Sobek, and it is exceptional in the way it combines material tradition with innovative architecture in a mixed-use structure. It is 100,000 square meters in size and includes a hotel, apartments, offices, restaurants, an events center, and more. 17 lifts, which divide flows and link various important floors, are used to organise circulation.
The ceramic facade, which is among the tallest in the world, is its most notable feature. In addition to serving as aesthetically pleasing cladding, its thousands of components function as an active skin that directs wind, filters sunlight, and lowers thermal radiation, lowering the requirement for cooling by around 10% when compared to other buildings in the city. Additionally, each element’s density and orientation are adjusted based on sun exposure thanks to its parametric design.
Because of its small twist, the tower’s silhouette varies depending on the viewpoint and reduces direct sunlight. While the metallic surfaces create visual diversity throughout the day, the combination of ceramic, aluminium, and air chambers creates passive ventilation and guarantees indoor comfort.
Wasl Tower is a thin, flexible construction that integrates bracing techniques, hybrid columns, and post-tensioned slabs. By reducing the amount of interior columns required, this method maximises usable space and makes it easier to adapt to various applications. By use less concrete than other traditional construction methods in comparable high-rises, it also maximises material utilisation.
Type : Tower
Material: Ceramics
Date 2025
City Dubai
Country : United Arab Emirates
Photograph : Johnseye Photography Ahmad Alnaji – SARAB
