flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

World’s largest cultural center planned for Dubai

Cultural Facilities

World’s largest cultural center planned for Dubai

The Opera District will have a 2,000-seat theater and three residential complexes.


By Mike Chamernik, Associate Editor | May 4, 2016
World’s largest cultural center planned for Dubai

Dubai Opera House. Rendering courtesy Emaar.

Emaar Developers, a Dubai property developer, revealed plans for a new Opera District in the city that will be the world’s largest cultural center.

The Telegraph reports that the project calls for a 21,530 sf opera house at the heart of the district. The building will be shaped like a traditional dhow boat and will hold 2,000 seats.

The district will have a modern art museum, restaurants, and shops. Three residential complexes are also planned: the 66-floor Opera Grand; the Forte, which will be a 71-story and a 41-story tower; and the Address Residences Dubai Opera, which also includes two towers, at 65 and 55 stories. 

The Opera District will be in close proximity to the Needle, which is slated to be the world’s tallest tower.

Related Stories

University Buildings | Feb 18, 2022

On-campus performing arts centers and museums can be talent magnets for universities

Cultural facilities are changing the way prospective students and parents view higher education campuses.

Resiliency | Feb 15, 2022

Design strategies for resilient buildings

LEO A DALY's National Director of Engineering Kim Cowman takes a building-level look at resilient design. 

Cultural Facilities | Jan 27, 2022

Growth in content providers creates new demand for soundstage facilities

Relativity Architects' Partner Tima Bell discusses how the explosion in content providers has outpaced the availability of TV and film production soundstages in North America and Europe.

Cultural Facilities | Jan 18, 2022

A building in Times Square aspires to be a marketing and arts tool

The 580-ft TSX Broadway will have several LED signs on its exterior, and host an existing 27,000-sf theater that was hoisted 30 ft above street level. 

Cultural Facilities | Dec 16, 2021

Museums and other cultural spaces reconsider how to serve their communities

Efforts to raise capital for cultural buildings became necessary during the COVID-19 health crisis.

Giants 400 | Nov 19, 2021

2021 Cultural Facilities Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. cultural facilities sector

Gensler, AECOM, Buro Happold, and Arup top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.

Cultural Facilities | Nov 19, 2021

Goettsch Partners completes Lincoln Park Zoo’s Pepper Family Wildlife Center

The project doubles the size of the previous lion habitat.

Cultural Facilities | Nov 17, 2021

Henning Larsen-designed Shaw Auditorium opens at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The project celebrated its grand opening as part of HKUST’s thirtieth anniversary celebration.

Cultural Facilities | Oct 19, 2021

Niagara Falls is getting a bigger Welcome Center

The GWWO Architects-designed building will mostly sit on the site of the center it replaces.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category

Cultural Facilities

Multipurpose sports facility will be first completed building at Obama Presidential Center

When it opens in late 2025, the Home Court will be the first completed space on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Chicago. Located on the southwest corner of the 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, the Home Court will be the largest gathering space on the campus. Renderings recently have been released of the 45,000-sf multipurpose sports facility and events space designed by Moody Nolan.




halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021