| Who would ever have thought that some of the | | | | When Dubai stepped in it was a fresh stash of |
| greatest building of our generation would be built in | | | | cash and with architects scrambling for work it |
| places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi? While European | | | | provided much needed relief. What made this |
| cities like Barcelona, London, Paris and Berlin are | | | | such a unique set-up was the fact that all the |
| showcases of some of the most amazing | | | | traditional limitations of budgets and strict building |
| architectural feats of our generation, its the latest | | | | control was now virtually out of the way. For the |
| spurt of development in the middle east that is | | | | first time architects almost have free reigns as to |
| becoming the playground for big name architects. | | | | what they can design and build. Clients are very |
| Ever since Zaha Hadid and Frank Ghery started | | | | driven and motivated to have their building stand |
| challenging traditional form the next generation of | | | | out and while architects used to be the big |
| architecture started breaking free and its in places | | | | dreamers, clients where now dreaming even |
| like Dubai where this type of architecture was | | | | bigger and the results is a city filled with buildings |
| always bound to succeed. | | | | that defy convention. |
| While increasing commercial pressure in the | | | | Whether its a good thing remains to be seen. One |
| western capitalist world hindered many | | | | real issue is that in a city where everything looks |
| architectural aspiration, Dubai embraced it. With a | | | | "different" nothing is "different" any more. |
| seemingly limitless budget and a dream and | | | | Unconventional buildings in an unconventional |
| ambition as big as their oil fields, architects found | | | | context can get very boring and the biggest |
| a new playing field. To add fuel to the fire, the | | | | critics of Dubai claim that its nothing but a |
| global financial crises forced countless | | | | glamorous theme park that lacks longevity and |
| developments to a grinding halt in most of the | | | | genuine architectural merit. The lack of |
| major cities and companies that previously fueled | | | | architectural vision and cultural identity makes |
| development were forced to stop because of the | | | | many of these buildings nothing more than |
| economic crises. | | | | buildings without any real architecture. |