Dubai’s most sensational record-breaking structures
Dubai is home to dozens of record-breaking architectural wonders — with many more in the pipeline. The Franck Muller Aeternitas Tower in Dubai, pictured, was unveiled in December 2023 and will become the world's tallest residential clock tower when it opens in 2027. Take a look at the city's other superlative structures, from the deepest pool to the tallest hotel.
London Gate
In 2021, the Aura Sky Pool at the Address Beach Resort took the title of the world's highest infinity pool, perched 293.9 meters (964 feet and 3 inches) in the air.
AURA Skypool Lounge
Ciel Tower in Dubai's Marina district, pictured in this render, will be the tallest hotel in the world at 365 meters (1,197 feet) when it's completed — overtaking the current record holder, the 356-meter (1,168 feet) tall Gevora Hotel, also in Dubai.
The First Group
Dubai’s Burj Azizi, which broke ground in January 2024, is set to become the world’s second-tallest building, coming in at 725 meters (2,379 feet).
It makes sense that the world's tallest building would also set a few other records — one of which is at the base of the building. The Dubai Fountain, which puts on a nightly spectacle, is claimed to be the world's tallest performing fountain, shooting water up to 50 stories in the air.
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Opened to the public in 2018, Dubai Frame is the world's largest picture frame, although it's more than a decorative structure. The monument, observatory and museum is 150 meters (493 feet) tall, and in 2019, welcomed 17.73 million visitors.
Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images
One Za’abeel claimed the record for the world’s longest cantilever building when it opened in February 2024. The cantilever is part of a 230-meter-long (755-foot) structure known as “The Link” suspended between twin skyscrapers, with the cantilever projecting 67.5 meters (221 feet) over the city.
And on the world’s longest cantilever building is the United Arab Emirates’ longest suspended infinity pool, which is 120 meters (393 feet) long and 100 meters (328 feet) high.
Rebecca Cairns/CNN
Not all of Dubai's record-breaking structures are super tall. The Emirate aspires to be the 3D-printing capital of the world, and between 2019 and 2023 it held the record for the largest 3D-printed building in the world, the Dubai Municipality building (pictured). It's also home to the world's first 3D-printed office and plans to construct the world's first 3D-printed mosque.
Satish Kumar/Reuters
Deep Dive Dubai takes the city's record-breaking to new depths — 60 meters (196 feet) below sea level, to be exact. Those brave enough to take the plunge into the world's deepest pool can scuba dive in a sunken city and get creative in its underwater film studio.
Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
Dubai Miracle Garden, billed as the world's largest natural flower garden, is home to another record-setting structure: the world's largest floral arrangement, a sculpture in the shape of an Airbus A380 airplane.
Andrea DiCenzo/Getty Images
But being biggest isn't always best. When it opened in October 2021, Ain Dubai became the world's largest observation wheel, coming in at a whopping 250 meters (820 feet), nearly double the height of the London Eye. However, it closed just six months later for "enhancement works" — originally for a month, then six, and now indefinitely, leading to some reports renaming it the "world's largest (broken) Ferris wheel."
