20
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
Showcasing the latest projects from around the world – visit
www.architectsdatafi
le.co.uk for full information
© Ahmad Alnaji - SARAB
WASL TOWER, DUBAI UNS
, Wasl Tower houses a diverse mixed-use programme including the Mandarin Oriental Downtown hotel, residential units, offi ces, and amenity spaces, plus a convention hall for ceremonies, weddings and conferences, creating a “vertical community that caters to a variety of user groups.” The design includes elevated public areas, offering “unique spaces for socialising, dining, wellness and chance encounters high above the city.” With its completion, Wasl Tower now hosts the region’s tallest building to feature a ceramic facade, with this locally traditional material “reimagined by UNS for high-rise application.” The facade operates as a “360° system, layered in response to the building’s solar orientation. The ceramic fi ns form a “protective cloak that wraps around the tower, acting as a passive environmental fi lter.” Their placement and confi guration, developed through parametric modelling, “balances environmental performance with aesthetics,” allowing daylight to penetrate deep into the interior while shielding incident solar heat gain. Each composite ceramic fi n features a custom terracotta profi le, baked with a metallic glaze that enables it to “transform visually throughout the day and seasons.”
Wasl Tower, in downtown Dubai and designed by UNS in partnership with lead engineering consultant Werner Sobek, is now complete. Since 2013, the teams have worked with Wasl Group to create a high-rise that supports the UAE’s ambition to be a key player in sustainable transformation worldwide. The architects said the “innovative, adaptable, and sustainable landmark” is a “bold expression of mobility, sustainability, and possibility.” The Wasl Tower is a 302 metre-tall high-rise structure located adjacent to the Burj Khalifa in the heart of Dubai’s city centre. Completed in late 2025, it has one of the world’s tallest terracotta ceramic facades, “setting a regional standard for the use of this timeless material and its inherent sustainable properties.” The building’s “responsiveness and ability to acclimatise to harsh climatic conditions by way of passive shading and cooling techniques that are articulated throughout the facade, set this building apart in the Dubai skyline,” said the architects. UNS’ design concept, including a “heat-resistant ceramic cloak,” refl ects the building’s connection to its unique location, with access to the metro, pedestrian walkways, and major roadways. The design adopts a ‘contrapposto’ movement, allowing the mixed-use tower to face in multiple directions and offer a constantly changing profi le across the city. Covering 167,733 m2
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
ADF APRIL/MAY 2026
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116
