ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
CERAMIC INNOVATION MEETS HIGH-RISE DESIGN
302-METRE-TALL WASL TOWER NOW COMPLETED
Wasl Tower, located in downtown Dubai and designed by partnership with lead engineering consultant Werner Sobek, has been completed. Since 2013, the teams have worked with Wasl Group to create a highrise in Dubai that supports the UAE’ s ambition to be a key player in sustainable transformation worldwide, while contributing to the city’ s drive for worldrenowned architecture over the next 100 years. Today, Wasl Tower stands out within the city skyline as an innovative, adaptable, and sustainable landmark in the heart of the city. The building goes beyond architecture: a bold expression of mobility, sustainability, and possibility.
The Wasl Tower is a 302-metre-tall high-rise structure located off Sheikh Zayed road, rising adjacent to the Burj Khalifa in the heart of Dubai’ s city centre. Completed in late 2025, Wasl Tower 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 Tower’ s responsiveness and ability to acclimate to harsh climatic conditions by way of passive shading and cooling techniques articulated throughout the facade set this building apart in the Dubai skyline. The building’ s form morphs and folds to minimise solar incident heat exposure while maximising the shielding effect of its abrasion and heat-resistant ceramic cloak. The design’ s dynamic proximity to infrastructure, varying mix of programmatic typologies, and ambition towards sustainability all provided the catalyst for a solution driven design process.
UNS’ s design concept reflects the building’ s connection to its unique location, which enjoys access to the metro, pedestrian walkways, and major roadways. The design adopts a‘ contrapposto’ movement, allowing the mixed-
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