Infrastructure milestones #11: Sheikh Rashid Tower
The Dubai World Trade Centre tower played a key role in the city’s rise as a commercial centre at the global crossroads, Mariam Elsayed writes
In pursuit of his dream of transforming Dubai into the region’s premier trade and business hub, the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum adopted the strategy of building infrastructure ahead of demand. These audacious gambles on infrastructure – the Jebel Ali Port, perhaps, being the biggest – have not only passed the test of time with flying colours, but continue to inspire Dubai’s progress to this day.
One such infrastructure gamble was the World Trade Centre tower, the intention being to lay the foundations to position Dubai as a global business centre. As with Jebel Ali Port and Dubai Drydocks, the proposal was met with a flood of criticism: “too far from town”, “not commercially viable”, “over- ambitious”, “an exercise in futility.” The location was considered too remote from the old city centre, where all the action was, to be of any use to anyone.
However, Sheikh Rashid ordered the start of construction in 1974, and on February 26, 1979, Dubai’s first skyscraper was formally inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II. The tower, which rose up in splendid isolation above an empty stretch of desert, was the tallest building in the Middle East for quite some time. Belying critics, the Dubai World Trade Centre became a sought-after location for multinationals and foreign consulates desperate for superior office space. Tenants included MNCs like Federal Express, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson and IBM, and also the consulates of Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and, until recently, the US. Eventually, the lone tower became the anchor for future development along the Sheikh Zayed Road (which links Dubai and Abu Dhabi), helping transform an empty stretch of desert into the city’s central business district with a world-beating skyline.
Renamed the Sheikh Rashid Tower, the iconic building, with its bold mix of Islamic and modernist architecture, is featured on the AED100 banknote, a salute to its pioneering status as a global business centre and construction landmark in the region.
From a single tower, the Dubai World Trade Centre has grown into a 90,000sqm complex, embodying Sheikh Rashid’s vision of a modern city attracting the world’s leading companies. And the growth story continues, with Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) awarding the main contract for the first phase delivery of the Dubai Trade Centre District (DTCD), a 146,000sqm mixed-use development, in March last year.
