From the Marina District to the Business District, from the palm-tree shaped Palm Jumeirah to the inland Golf Estates, Dubai blooms upward and outward.
It is one of the world’s fastest growing metropolitan areas, ranked 5th in 2015, according to a Brookings Institute Global Metro Monitor Report. Although the real estate market in Dubai has slowed on the heels of lower oil prices when prices dropped in 2014, real estate performance in Dubai still ranks among the top global cities.
Dubai’s rapid development and high-end housing market have attracted starchitects, who’ve made their mark on the skyline. Examples include the shimmering Opus, by Zaha Hadid, the forklike Index Tower by Norman Foster, and the new Super Potato and SOMA Architects development, One at Palm Jumeirah. These buildings have served as a magnet for luxury buyers worldwide. Unlike London or New York, architects and developers in Dubai are not just building single buildings, but entire communities.
"Dubai sees itself as the center of excellence in terms of iconic buildings," said Jason Hayes, Head of New Developments for Luxhabitat, a high-end property brokerage and interior design company based in Dubai. "But my view is that its excellence lies in its ability to design, create and deliver world class master plans."
More:A Turnaround in 2017? A Dubai Expert Talks
Modern and contemporary
"Generally, the trend is toward contemporary buildings," said Luxhabitat’s Luxury Sales Director, Alexander Von-Sayn Wittgenstein. Buildings feature clean lines, minimal adornment, and floor-to-ceiling windows. With such simplicity, the focus is on high quality materials.
In The Volante, a development slated to open on the Dubai Canal, the apartments have striped Zebrano wood paneling and Jordanian tile. The Versace, a new development with a $12,523,312 penthouse, has mosaic work designed by the House of Fantini, an Italian company that tiled the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and Fondazione Prada in Milan.
Another upcoming development on the Palm Jumeirah, The Alef, has a gentle waving structure. It features a softer take on contemporary design with built-ins, paneled walls, luxurious surfaces, and curved balconies with sliding doors.
The idea is to hit the right balance, to be "modern enough to look good and inviting but not too contemporary," Mr. Hayes said. He pointed to the sold-out Fairways at Dubai Hills Estate as an example of a perfectly designed modern structure. The villas have clean lines, but use warm and inviting to make the contemporary feel homey.
The building that set the bar (literally) in contemporary architecture in Dubai, and around the world, is the Burj Khalifa. The tallest skyscraper in the world, it rises almost straight up, clad in shining steel.
"The vertical mullions were made from polished stainless steel," said Adrian Smith, of Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture based in Chicago, who designed the structure, "to reflect the morning and later afternoon sun so the building would shimmer and glisten."
More:Dubai Residential Prices Cool Off
Attention to tradition
Despite the movement toward clean lines, architects have not forgotten that they are in Dubai. Many buildings pay homage to Islamic culture and design motifs. This is true of the new Tower at Dubai Creek Harbor, the cornerstone of this development and the new Dubai skyline. It was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and is due to be completed in 2020. According to a spokesperson for Emaar Properties, the developer behind it, the tower "draws design inspiration from the lily and evokes the image of a minaret, which is a common feature and distinctive aspect of Islamic culture."
In Dubai, interest in villas as well as residential towers means those buying detached structures can make their own choices between traditional and modern.
"Clever developers are offering three distinctive styles on specific projects," Mr. Hayes said.
Meydan SOBHA’s District One allows the buyer to choose between Modern Arabic, Mediterranean, or Contemporary design. Emaar’s Dubai Hills Grove offers a similar choice.
One with nature
Although temperatures that climb past the 100-degree mark have spurred many mixed-use developments with internal corridors for air-conditioned comfort, a number of new projects seek to connect with the environment.
"There’s a large design emphasis on large window walls bringing the outside in," Mr. Hayes said. The villas of the Arabian Ranches and Emirates Hills have large windows to take in the landscape, and villas in Dubai Hills and the Jumeirah Golf Estates provide beautiful golf course views. Slightly further inland, the 18.42 million-square-foot, 217-villa Al Barari development contains the area’s largest privately owned plant nursery.
The Dubai Creek Harbor project will feature two residential towers that not only overlook the skyline and creek but also the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary. Protected under the UNESCO Ramsar Convention, the sanctuary is home to over 67 species of waterfowl.
More:This Dubai Penthouse Has a Pool in Its Living Room
Urban influences
One of the most exciting things about Dubai is that as it continues to grow, architects have more to reference. When Mr. Smith worked on the Burj Khlaifa, his team was working in a vacuum, because the site was an abandoned military base.
"There was virtually no context so we made the context for the future, " he said. "The Burj Vista, now under construction next to the Burj Khalifa, responds to both the views of the Burj as well as the solar conditions of the site."
He also points to the influence of new infrastructure and transit projects and city growth. Dubai "is maturing into a true metropolis with exciting retail, restaurants, and attractions with connectivity between buildings that make strolling along the avenues a joy."
New developments downtown, such as The Act One | Act Two residences next to the Dubai Opera, seek to capitalize on the city as a place of urbanity and connectivity. The towers take their direction from the city: the Dubai Fountain, the largest choreographed fountain in the world, the Burj Khalifa, and the main shopping avenue, Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, all of which are iconic Dubai landmarks at the heart of the city. The towers feature balconies and roof terraces to maximize city engagement.
With World Expo, a global technology and science event that expects 25 million visitors from over 180 countries, coming in 2020, architects working in Dubai expect even more of the city.
"Dubai seems to have continued great vision," Mr. Smith said. "New districts with proposed new typologies of tall structures are all on the drawing boards, or already under construction. Dubai remains amazing, exhilarating and forward-looking with even greater greatness in its future."
More From Mansion Global: