Dubai Municipality has announced that it will start construction work on the Dubai Frame project in December 2013. The project will be adjacent to the Stargate theme park in Zabeel Park.
Hussain Nasser Lootah, the director general of the Dubai Municipality, said that tenders had been opened and would be given to the right contractor according to the municipality’s plans.
The $32.67 million project is shaped like a window and will provide panoramic views of both Old and New Dubai from a 150 feet high glass bridge. It was ordered in July 2012, with a scheduled completion date at the end of this year.
In an announcement in May this year, Dubai Municipality said that the project would now be completed by the end of 2014. However, the civic body now says that the project will be ready by the second half of 2015.
In the latest statement, the municipality also provided the exact location of the project, which will be near the Stargate theme park in Zabeel Park. The theme park is aimed at children and features rides, an ice-rink and a 3-D cinema.
Lootah said that Dubai Municipality had conducted extensive studies and research to identify the most suitable location for the Dubai Frame.
“It was after an (intense) study and extensive consultation that the (location) was decided — near the Stargate of Zabeel Park — which is a famous point for visitors and tourists,” he explained in a media statement.
“Dubai Frame will become one of the most attractive tourist destinations of Dubai, which will bring around 2 million visitors per year from across the globe. We are looking forward to a unique architectural landmark that matches to the global status of Dubai. We expect it will bridge the past and future of Dubai and may become a name linked to Dubai like Burj Khalifa and Burj Al-Arab,” he added.
The conceptual design proposal of the tower by Fernando Donis of the Netherlands was among 926 entries for the 11th ThyssenKrupp Elevator Award and had won $100,000.