Architectural Record, May 2010

Only about 125 miles separate Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but the Persian Gulf emirates can seem worlds apart in terms of opportunities for architects.

In Dubai, unfinished high-rises litter the horizon, as the emirate dramatically suffers the effects of the housing downturn. In January, the emirate even experienced its first foreclosure when the British-bank Barclays won a case to take back a property (details are undisclosed). More foreclosures are expected in coming weeks.

But in Abu Dhabi, office buildings, homes, and even airports continue to be planned and built, as the city pushes beyond its borders to encompass former desert lands and tidal flats. Architects from overseas seem to be betting that the growth spurt will continue, as about a dozen firms from the U.S. and elsewhere, including HKS, FXFowle, and Leo A Daly, have opened offices there.....

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