As Dubai bids farewell to the Toyota Building, here are 5 iconic structures shaping the city

The upcoming demolition of the 15-storey Nasser Rashid Lootah Building, affectionately known to generations of residents as the ‘Toyota Building’, marks the end of a nearly 50-year era at the site near the now-defunct Defence Roundabout on Sheikh Zayed Road. Erected in 1974, when Sheikh Zayed Road was little more than a single-lane highway cutting across the desert, the neon-topped block stood as a proud reminder of Old Dubai amid a rapidly evolving skyline.

As the emirate continues its push into the future, here are five iconic structures that chart Dubai’s breathtaking journey from trading port to global metropolis.

1. Dubai World Trade Centre (Sheikh Rashid Tower)

• Year built: 1979
• Architect: John R. Harris & Partners
• Why it’s iconic: Long before Burj Khalifa redefined the skyline, the Sheikh Rashid Tower was Dubai’s defining skyscraper and, at the time, the tallest building in the Middle East. Depicted on the Dh100 banknote, its distinctive precast-concrete façade became an enduring symbol of Dubai’s emergence as an international centre of commerce.

The tower formed the centrepiece of what became the Dubai World Trade Centre. An intriguing piece of Old Dubai folklore surrounds the building: contemporary and later oral-history accounts say that older residents referred to it as the ‘Sunlay Building’, apparently after British contractor Bernard Sunley & Co, which was involved in its construction. The tower was officially inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II on February, 26, 1979.

2. Burj Al Arab

• Year built: 1999
• Architect: Tom Wright, WKK Architects
• Why it’s iconic: Rising 321 metres on a man-made island off Jumeirah Beach, the sail-shaped hotel helped put Dubai firmly on the international luxury-tourism map. Its spectacular atrium, cantilevered helipad and dramatic architecture have made it one of the world’s most recognisable hotels.

The Burj Al Arab has also been the setting for some extraordinary publicity events. On 22 February 2005, tennis legends Roger Federer and Andre Agassi famously played a friendly exhibition on a temporary tennis court installed on the hotel’s helipad, around 211 metres above sea level.

In April 2026, the management announced an approximately 18-month restoration programme for the hotel, intended to preserve and restore its original character while upgrading its interiors and facilities.

3. Burj Khalifa

• Year built: 2010
• Architect: Adrian Smith, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
• Why it’s iconic: Soaring 828 metres, Burj Khalifa remains the world’s tallest building and the defining centrepiece of Downtown Dubai. Its Y-shaped, tri-axial design was inspired by the Hymenocallis, a desert flower, while its stepped form helps reduce the effects of wind at extreme height.

The tower contains residences, offices, restaurants, observation decks and the Armani Hotel Dubai. Its extraordinary height and engineering helped establish Dubai as a global centre for supertall architecture.

4. The Dubai Frame

• Year built: 2018
• Architect: Fernando Donis
• Why it’s iconic: Standing 150 metres tall in Zabeel Park, the Dubai Frame was conceived as a monumental gateway between Dubai’s past and present.

From its elevated Sky Deck, visitors can look toward Old Dubai, including areas around Dubai Creek, and in the opposite direction toward the modern skyline. Its enormous rectangular form effectively turns the city itself into a picture, making the building as much a piece of urban storytelling as an architectural landmark.

5. Museum of the Future

• Year built: 2022
• Architect: Shaun Killa (Killa Design)
• Why it’s iconic: Described by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of Dubai and Ruler of Dubai,  as “the most beautiful building on Earth,” the Museum of the Future is one of Dubai’s most ambitious architectural statements.

The 77-metre-high torus-shaped structure features a huge open void at its centre and 1,024 stainless-steel façade panels, each individually shaped. Its exterior is covered with Arabic calligraphy featuring quotations and poetry by Sheikh Mohammed. The calligraphy simultaneously serves as the building’s windows.

Unlike a conventional museum focused on preserving the past, the Museum of the Future explores possible futures, including artificial intelligence, climate change, space exploration, biotechnology and future societies.